The 42% of Jews who say that [West Bank] settlements "help Israeli security" isn't too far from the percentage that wants [parts of] the West Bank annexed, as 2020 poll found:
Half of Israelis support annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, although they are divided over whether to take the step without U.S. support, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday.
Some 25 percent of Israelis surveyed by the Israel Democracy Institute think-tank said they want their government to apply sovereignty to Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank even without backing from Israel's closest ally. [...]
Another quarter of the 771 Jewish and Arab Israelis polled preferred annexation only with Washington's backing, while another 30 percent opposed the move entirely. The remaining 20 percent were undecided.
Since your poll is from 2016, somewhat earlier (2018) the percentage of West Bank annexation supporters was somewhat lower/similar (although there can also be variation due to how poll questions are phrased etc.)
Haaretz Poll: 42% of Israelis Back West Bank Annexation, Including Two-state Supporters
The idea of Israel partially or fully annexing the West Bank, originally touted only by the far-right, appears to be gaining broader acceptance on the center and left. Only 28 percent of those polled oppose any annexation. The number is 35 percent among non-Jewish respondents, although almost the same portion – 31 percent – of non-Jews polled support annexation in some form.
A total of 15 percent support annexing Area C (the parts of the West Bank that were placed under full Israeli control under the Oslo Accords). This is where the majority of Israel’s 400,000 settlers live, alongside an estimated 300,000 Palestinians.
Sixteen percent of those polled support annexing the entire West Bank without giving any political rights to the Palestinians who live there. Meanwhile, 11 percent support full annexation, but with the provision that Palestinians are given rights, i.e. the right to vote and run for office. Among non-Jewish respondents, support for this alternative rises to 20 percent.
And yeah, it's apparently been official policy since June 2023 although I've not followed all the details, here are some snippets:
The gap between Israel’s words and actions on the West Bank began changing in 2017, when officials in Netanyahu’s then-government began discussing plans for unilateral annexation of the territory. That December, Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party passed a resolution instructing its legislators to “pursue” full annexation of the West Bank. But it was clear to those who voted in favor of the resolution that it had only declaratory status and
could not be implemented immediately due to international objections.
Then, in the leadup to Israel’s 2019 elections and the emergence of then-U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called “deal of the century”—which prescribed a partial Israeli annexation of the West Bank—Netanyahu declared in media interviews that he would promote the “gradual” application of Israeli sovereignty to the territory. Netanyahu said he discussed “annexation by consent”—U.S. consent—with the Trump administration.
Netanyahu has repeated this messaging several times since. The new government he formed last year with extremist settler parties mentions “the Jewish people’s exclusive right over the entire Land of Israel” in its manifesto. The coalition agreement between Likud and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s hard-line Religious Zionist Party is more specific, stating, “The prime minister will work towards the formulation and promotion of a policy whereby sovereignty is applied to the Judea and Samaria.” (Judea and Samaria are the biblical names for the areas comprising the West Bank and are typically used by the Israeli right.)
[...] While Smotrich did not receive the commander’s full portfolio, the transfer still dramatically changed the structure of Israel’s regime in the West Bank: For the first time, it placed many administrative powers in the occupied territory in the hands of a civilian. The move effectively anointed Smotrich de facto governor of the West Bank.
According to the agreement, Smotrich (referred to as “the minister within the Ministry of Defense”) will appoint civilians for official positions in the military government, such as the newly created position of deputy head of the Civil Administration, the military agency in charge of civilian matters for Israeli settlers and settlements in the West Bank; he will also appoint these officials’ legal advisors.
Moreover, Smotrich will be solely responsible for designing much of Israel’s colonization policy in the West Bank. Issues such as land allocation, planning, and construction in most areas outside of Palestinian cities and villages; law enforcement on illegal construction by both Palestinians and Israelis; infrastructure; water allocation; and much more all now fall under Smotrich’s purview.
So this is somewhat more than just words.
BTW, going back to your [Q] poll, there's this obvious myside bias aspect too:
Perhaps not surprisingly, a solid majority of Israeli Jews who currently live in the West Bank say the settlements help Israel’s security (65%).
