Strong support for Israel's Lebanon offensive - poll
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-07-28 14:35
JERUSALEM - An overwhelming majority of Israelis continue to support the
military operation in Lebanon and say the country should be even more forthright
in its actions, a newspaper poll showed on Friday.
An man watches an
Israeli mobile artillery unit as it fires into Lebanon, July 27,
2006.[Reuters] |
The survey showed that 82 percent of all Israelis and 92 percent of the
Jewish population felt the operation against Hizbollah fighters in Lebanon was
justified.
The conflict between Israel and Hizbollah erupted after a cross-border raid
into Israel by the Shi'ite militia on July 12 in which two soldiers were
abducted and eight killed.
Israeli air strikes and shelling since then have killed at least 433 people
in Lebanon, mostly civilians. Hizbollah rocket attacks and other operations have
killed 51 Israelis, including 18 civilians.
Hizbollah has fired over 1,400 Katyusha rockets into northern Israel in the
past two weeks, and says it also has long-range missiles which can strike the
centre of the country.
A majority of Israelis feel the country should employ more force in the
operation in Lebanon and 71 percent of respondents said they were pleased with
the performance of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Only 10 percent of the Jewish population said Israel should stop fighting and
start talking.
The poll was held among 513 respondents representative of a cross-section of
the Israeli population which is about 80 percent Jewish and 20 percent
non-Jewish, including Arab Muslim, Arab Christian and Druze.
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