Israelis are almost evenly split on whether or not their government should attack Iran's nuclear facilities, according to a new poll released Monday.

The poll, carried out by the Netanya Academic College, shows that 52 percent of Israelis oppose a strike, claiming that Israel must exhaust all diplomatic channels, while 48 percent unconditionally support military action.

With regard to the possibility that Iran would ultimately acquire a nuclear weapon, 18 percent of respondents said they believed the Islamic republic would attempt to use it in order to annihilate Israel, while 62.5 percent opined that Israel would be able to contend with a nuclear-armed Iran.

Israelis also believe that an Iranian bomb would serve to either threaten or pressure their country. About 32 percent of respondents said Iran would use a nuclear weapon to that end, while only 6 percent thought Tehran would behave pragmatically once in possession of one.

The findings coincide with those of other surveys conducted in recent months to tackle Israeli public opinion about a possible airstrike on Iran.

A poll commissioned in March by the Ha'aretz newspaper showed that 58 percent opposed a solo attack, without U.S. backing, while 50 percent of respondents said they trust the government's handling of the Iranian issue.

Another survey, conducted a month earlier by the Brookings Institution, found that only 19 percent of Israelis support independent military action against Iran, while nearly a third, 32 percent, opposed a strike altogether.

The latest poll comes on the heels of two rounds of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia, plus Germany), aimed at persuading Tehran to abandon its nuclear program, with a third and possibly finally round scheduled to be held in Moscow later this month.

Israel, the United States and other Western countries accuse Iran of clandestinely pursuing a nuclear weapon program. Iran denies the allegations and says its nuclear program is geared for peaceful purposes, such as electricity production.