A new survey by the Israel Democracy Institute paints a mixed picture of Israeli public opinion on the country’s relationship with the United States, national security, and domestic politics, showing a sharp decline in confidence that President Donald Trump places Israel’s security at the center of his decision-making.

According to the June “Israeli Voice Index,” conducted by the Viterbi Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research, only 28% of Israelis now believe Israel’s security is a primary consideration for Trump, down dramatically from 44% in May. Among Jewish respondents, that figure fell from 41% to just 26%, while among Arab Israelis it declined from 59% to 36%.

Despite the drop in confidence, a majority of Israelis (53%) believe the current tensions between Israel and the United States are only temporary and will not cause lasting damage to the close relationship between the two allies. Among Jewish respondents, 54% view the disagreement as a temporary crisis, while Arab respondents were almost evenly divided on whether the current tensions represent a long-term turning point.

The poll also found overwhelming support for maintaining a permanent Israeli security zone in southern Lebanon. Seventy-two percent of respondents said Israel should retain such a buffer zone even if it leads to friction with the United States. Support among Jewish Israelis reached 80%, while most Arab respondents opposed the idea.

On domestic issues, nearly half of respondents (47%) said Israeli police and law enforcement have been too lenient toward chareidim involved in protests against the draft law and the arrest of draft evaders. Just over one-quarter believed authorities have been too harsh. Among secular Jews, nearly seven in ten said enforcement has been too soft, while most chareidim said police have acted too aggressively.

The survey also found that 38% of Israelis believe the country’s overall strategic and security situation has improved since Operation Rising Lion, though opinions varied sharply along political lines. Only respondents identifying with the political right overwhelmingly viewed Israel’s position as stronger today.

When asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the chareidi political leadership in advancing the interests of its constituents, 47% of respondents gave it a positive rating, while 28% gave it a negative one. Interestingly, the most critical assessments came from within the chareidi community itself, where roughly half rated their own political leadership negatively.

Finally, nearly half of Israelis said the government should refrain from advancing major constitutional or governmental reforms ahead of the upcoming elections, with only about one-third supporting such legislation at this time.

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