Special survey reveals 54% of Israelis don't think borders are sufficiently protected after Oct. 7

The majority of the Israeli public believes that the lessons of Oct. 7 require Israel to maintain defensible borders, buffer zones, and a security presence in strategic areas, according to a new nationwide public opinion survey conducted for the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs and Security.The survey indicates broad support for preserving Israel's territorial security components and significant skepticism toward alternatives based on international guarantees or territorial withdrawals.The survey, conducted in cooperation with Lazar Research led by Dr. Menachem Lazar among a representative sample of 503 Jews and Arabs aged 18 and over in Israel, shows that 54% of Israelis believe Israel's borders are not sufficiently protected following the events of Oct. 7, while only 42% believe they are protected.

In addition, 56% of respondents believe that the security failure that enabled the terror attack was the result of a combination of factors, rather than a single isolated failure.Regarding the Gaza Strip, 64% of Israelis believe that Israel should maintain a permanent military buffer zone along the border, and an additional 11% support this within the framework of a temporary arrangement. Overall, about three-quarters of the public support the continued existence of a security buffer zone in the Strip.On the northern front, 73% of Israelis support the IDF continuing to maintain a presence and a buffer zone in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, while only 14% oppose this.Israelis support border presence and reflect on past military decisionsThere is also broad support for a continued Israeli presence on the Syrian border. 60% of Israelis support maintaining Israel's control and security presence in the area, which was occupied after the fall of the Assad regime, whether by maintaining the status quo or expanding the buffer zone for security purposes.In Judea and Samaria, 57% of Israelis believe that Israel must maintain a permanent military presence in the Jordan Valley regardless of any future political settlement, and see this as a non-negotiable security necessity. Only 11% believe this presence can be relinquished.The survey also shows a significant lack of trust in international solutions. 65% of Israelis do not trust international forces to replace Israel's military presence on the country's borders. Of these, 40% believe only Israel can defend itself, and another 25% cite the historical failure of international forces to provide effective security.Accordingly, 61% of Israelis oppose a peace agreement that would require a complete withdrawal from the West Bank without Israeli-controlled buffer zones.

Only 27% expressed willingness to support such a move.The survey also shows that 48% of Israelis now define the Oslo Accords as a strategic mistake, and 56% believe that the Gaza disengagement plan was a strategic mistake. These findings reflect a reassessment by the public regarding past withdrawal policies and territorial arrangements.Dr. Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs and Security, said: “The Israeli public has drawn a clear lesson from the events of Oct. 7 and from security developments in recent years: national security cannot be based on hopes, international guarantees, or basic assumptions that have proven insufficient. Most Israelis today understand that defensible borders, strategic depth, buffer zones, and an Israeli security presence in vital spaces are necessary conditions for the defense of the state.”According to him, “The survey findings indicate a broad consensus across many political camps regarding the need to maintain independent defensive capabilities and ensure that Israel has borders that can be defended even in a changing regional reality.

This is a significant message both for decision makers in Israel and for Israel's partners around the world.”