A poll published this past weekend indicates that 77% of Israelis are in favor of a bill that would make it possible to suspend any member of Knesset who expressed support for terrorism.

The proposed legislation seeks to enable a special majority vote of 90 MKs, similar to the majority necessary to suspend a president or a Knesset speaker, to suspend lawmakers for unbecoming conduct. The measure would allow the suspensions to be for short periods or for the duration of the Knesset's term. It also calls for the suspension of pay and any other benefits enjoyed by incumbent lawmakers and seeks to strip suspended MKs of their parliamentary immunity.

According to the poll, only 17% of Israelis oppose the bill. Most people who opposed it belonged to the center-left of the political camp. Another 6% of respondents had no opinion about the bill.

The bill, sponsored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was drafted following controversy sparked by three Israeli Arab MKs who recently met with the families of terrorists and observed a moment of silence in honor of the deceased terrorists. All three were temporarily suspended by the Knesset Ethics Committee under an existing law.