Despite the conflict in Lebanon, there remains an enduring consensus amongst Israelis in favour of the war. The overarching conviction is that in order to secure the safe return of the 63,000 Israelis displaced from their homes along the northern borders due to missile threats and potential insurgencies, it is crucial to debilitate Hizbullah’s military force and draw back their combatants from the border. This sentiment is shaped by the harrowing recall of the cross-border attack by Hamas from Gaza on October 7th, 2023.
Nonetheless, public consciousness is tainted with uneasy reminders of Israel’s engagement in the 1982 and 2004 Lebanon wars. There is a fear of getting entangled in a prolonged war in Lebanon, reminiscent of the past.
According to a poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute at the onset of the ground invasion on October 1st, a striking 90% of Jewish Israelis approved the war against Hizbullah. On the contrary, 47% of Arab Israelis disapproved of the offensive. Over 70% of Israelis believe that both the military and civilians have the capacity to endure a long-lasting war stretching over multiple fronts.
From a political standpoint, 67% of left-wing, 87% of centrists, and 95% of right-wing Israelis respectively endorsed the attack on Hizbullah. Opinions on the ground invasion were more divided, with 47% Jewish Israelis supporting and 41% dissenting. Most Arab respondents (59.5%) opposed the operation. As the survey was taken at the beginning of the ground operation, it is assumable that following initial military accomplishments and relatively minor Israeli casualties, support may have appreciably increased.
The current situation bears a striking resemblance to the Lebanon wars of 1982 and 2024. These wars were focused on pushing militants away from Israel’s north frontier as well as neutralising the threat of missiles targeting Israeli territories. The campaigns secured considerable public approval at the onset. Still, 1982 witnessed the approved mandate getting unfairly extended, with then Defence Minister, Ariel Sharon, proposing to advance beyond the initially agreed 40km limit sanctioned by Menachem Begin’s government, with aspirations to reach as far as Beirut.
Throughout 2006, significant grievances were raised within Israel as the hefty toll of life and IDF’s failure to temper Hizbullah provoked widespread critique regarding the conduct of the war. The current aim put forth by Israel involves driving Hizbullah beyond the Litani River, located approximately 30km north from the border of Israel. Notwithstanding, adversaries of Binyamin Netanyahu express concern that his intention is to engage in a prolonged war in Lebanon as a distraction from prisoners held in Gaza. They also worry that the mounting call for a ceasefire could put his coalition’s stability at risk.