Poll: Majority of Israelis support withdrawal from Philadelphi corridor

An opinion poll conducted by the Israeli newspaper Maariv on Friday revealed that a large Israeli majority supports withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor in exchange for a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas. According to the poll, 48% of the sample preferred to release the detainees in Gaza rather than keep them in detention. It showed that a large majority of the public supports withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor to allow for a swap deal, as 48% of the sample supported giving up the corridor, compared to 37% who expressed a willingness to abandon a deal to leave the corridor in Israel's hands. On the political front, the differences are more acute, and among opposition supporters, withdrawal from the axis enjoys 75% support. In contrast, 74% of coalition voters said they would be willing to abandon the agreement if it meant withdrawing from the Philadelphi axis. The poll also reveals that only one candidate is more fit to be prime minister than current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Accor ding to the poll, if Naftali Bennett had submitted his candidacy, he would have received 49% support, compared to 34% for Netanyahu, but the latter outperforms the other mentioned candidates. The poll showed that Netanyahu would win over Benny Gantz by 42% to 40% for Gantz, a change compared to last week, when Gantz beat Netanyahu by one percentage point. Netanyahu will also win over opposition leader Yair Lapid, with 45% to Lapid's 36%, and he will also win over Avigdor Lieberman, with Netanyahu receiving 43% of the sample's votes, compared to Lieberman's 35%. Source: Maan News Agency