A majority of both Israelis and Americans are dissatisfied with their leaders’ handling of the West Asia crisis, according to two separate surveys. In Israel, 92.1 per cent of respondents said Iran emerged as the winner of the war, while 86 per cent viewed the outcome negatively, and 56.4 per cent rated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s management of the campaign as poor or a failure. In the United States, 65 per cent of adults disapproved of US President Donald Trump’s handling of Iran, while only around one-third approved of his approach to the conflict, according to a separate poll.Reports come as diplomatic efforts continue to achieve a peace deal following the West Asia tensions that began after US strikes on Iran on February 28.
92 per cent Israelis believe Iran won the war
A survey conducted by the Agam Institute in collaboration with the Hebrew University and published by Channel12 found overwhelming public dissatisfaction with the outcome of the conflict and Netanyahu’s handling of it.The poll, carried out between June 17 and 20 among 3,644 Israelis aged 17 and above, found that 92.1 per cent believed Iran had emerged as the winner of the conflict. Another 86 per cent expressed a negative view of the outcome, while 82.9 per cent said the campaign had weakened Israel’s long-term security.The survey also highlighted widespread scepticism towards Netanyahu’s claims that Israel had achieved major gains and removed an existential threat from Iran. According to the poll, 72.5 per cent said they did not believe the prime minister when he argued that Israel had significantly improved its security position.A further 87.8 per cent said Israel had either failed to achieve its objectives or had only partially met them during the campaign.More than half of respondents, 56.4 per cent, described Netanyahu’s management of the war as poor or a failure.Despite the criticism, support for further military action remained significant. The survey found that 48.2 per cent of Israelis backed renewed large-scale military operations against Hezbollah, even if such action risked a clash with US President Donald Trump.The pollsters said the weighted sample was designed to reflect Israel’s population and carried a maximum margin of error of 2.2 percentage points at a 99 per cent confidence level.
65 per cent Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of Iran
A separate poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most Americans remained critical of Trump’s handling of Iran despite his shift from threats of escalation to diplomacy.The survey was conducted between June 11 and 17, as Trump announced a deal with Iran, authorised an end to the US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and reopened talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme.According to the poll, 65 per cent of US adults disapproved of Trump’s handling of issues involving Iran. Approval remained at roughly one-third of respondents, broadly in line with his overall job approval rating of 37 per cent, which was unchanged from an AP-NORC poll conducted in May.The survey found a sharp partisan divide. While large majorities of Democrats and independents disapproved of Trump’s approach, only 28 per cent of Republicans expressed dissatisfaction.Many respondents also believed US military involvement had gone too far. Fifty-three per cent said American military action against Iran had exceeded appropriate limits, compared with 59 per cent who held that view in March.Among Republicans, however, opinion was more divided. Around four in ten said US actions had been “about right”, while 37 per cent believed they had not gone far enough.The survey further showed that only about one-third of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, with some voters expressing frustration over rising prices and the administration’s focus on foreign policy issues.
