Netanyahu popularity falling sharply

According to a Reuters report, only 15% of Israelis want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stay in office after the war on Hamas in Gaza ends, though many more still support his strategy of crushing the militants in the Palestinian enclave.

Netanyahu promised to crush Hamas after its October 07, 2023 rampage in southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 240 abducted. Israeli forces have laid much of Gaza to waste in their nearly three-month retaliatory offensive.

Netanyahu has said such intense military pressure is also vital to ensure that the remaining 129 hostages still held in Gaza are returned after around 100 were freed in late November in a swap deal also involving hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

In the poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), 56% of those questioned said continuing the military offensive was the best way to recover the hostages.

24% thought a swap deal including the release of thousands more Palestinian prisoners from Israel's jails would be best.

More than 22,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to Gaza health officials, and most of the population displaced. Israel says it has killed some 8,000 Palestinian fighters and has vowed to hunt down Hamas leaders.

But a mere 15% want Netanyahu to be prime minister once the war is over, the poll showed. His political rival and present war cabinet partner, centrist Benny Gantz, garnered support from 23% of interviewees. Around 30% named no preferred leader.

The poll was conducted among 746 respondents between December 25-28, with a 95% confidence level, the IDI said. A previous IDI poll in December found that 69% of Israelis thought that elections should be held as soon as the war ends.

Netanyahu said on Saturday it would be months before victory is achieved. Successive surveys have found his popularity has fallen sharply since the surprise October attack by Hamas that led to the deadliest day in Israel's 75 years.

 

Israelis seeking Portuguese nationality

According to The Jerusalem Post, more Israelis applied for Portuguese citizenship than any other foreign group over the past two years, even though few choose to actually live in the country.

The number of Israelis seeking a Portuguese passport through a 2015 law passed for the descendants of Jews expelled during the Inquisition reached 20,975 in 2022, according to statistics from the Portuguese Immigration and Border Service (SEF). 

That exceeded the 18,591 applicants from Brazil, whose population is over 20 times larger than Israel’s and has longstanding cultural ties to Portugal, including a shared language. 

Israelis were also the largest group in 2021 when 21,263 people applied.

The surge of Israeli applicants began after Portugal passed its “Law of Return” in 2015, allowing the descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews who were affected by the 16th century to apply for nationality. The Portuguese government has announced plans to end this policy in December 2023, declaring its purpose of reparation to be fulfilled.

The policy was plagued by scandal last year amid allegations of fraud and corruption in the Jewish Community of Porto, one of two Jewish authorities — alongside Lisbon’s community — that was certified to vet applications. In particular, the Porto community came under fire for approving the citizenship of Roman Abramovich, a Russian-Jewish billionaire who made his fortune in Russia’s energy sector and has been called a close ally of Vladimir Putin, although he has denied being part of the Russian president’s inner circle. Abramovich’s naturalization came to light shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine when it became apparent that he could live in Europe and challenge the European sanctions being imposed on Russian oligarchs. His case triggered a criminal probe into Porto’s vetting process, leading to the detainment of community rabbi Daniel Litvak and a bitter rift in Portugal’s Jewish communities.

Portuguese citizenship has a wide-ranging appeal for Israelis, including the freedom of movement that comes with a European Union passport. Portugal has lower taxes and a lower cost of living than Israel, although its income levels are also proportionately lower. Some Israelis are attracted to the more relaxed acceptance rates at public universities in Europe and lower attendance costs for EU nationals. 

There are likely also political motivations. Liberal-leaning Israelis — alarmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government and its push to undercut the Israeli Supreme Court’s power and independence — have expressed growing interest in moving abroad. Others are galvanized by the fear and stress that come with living in a country continuously locked in deadly conflict with its neighbors.

Despite their spiking interest in nationality, most of the Israelis who applied have not moved to Portugal. While 60,000 Israelis had Portuguese citizenship in 2022, only 569 were residents, according to SEF data. In comparison, 239,744 Brazilians lived in Portugal last year.

Many citizens of Israel, a country full of citizens who have endured past migrations, may be driven by the desire for a “plan B.” Amikam, an Israeli healthcare professional who did not provide his last name, told The Portugal News that he applied for nationality in 2017 even though he has no plans of emigrating. 

“It’s always good to have a plan B in case things in Israel turn for the worst,” he said.