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Poll: Three quarters of Jewish Israelis would support a peace deal
A poll published yesterday suggests that 76 per cent of Hebrew-speaking Israelis would support a peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA), indicating an increase in support for such a deal.
The poll, commissioned by the Israel Peace Initiative Group, questioned a representative sample of Hebrew-speaking Israelis and therefore did not include Arab Israelis. 63 per cent of respondents said that they would support a regional peace agreement in principle without even knowing the details of an accord. This increased to 76 per cent support once those questioned were given an outline of a possible agreement. This included nine elements based on the Arab League Peace Initiative, which promises Israel full diplomatic relations with the Arab world in exchange for a comprehensive peace agreement with the Palestinians.
The terms presented included the creation of a demilitarised Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, “minor territorial exchanges” to ensure most settlements remain under Israeli sovereignty, no right of return for Palestinian refugees beyond a symbolic number, security arrangements to protect against terrorism, and the promise that economic access to “300 million consumers and a billion residents [in the Arab and Muslim world] will improve the situation of Israeli citizens.”
Of those polled, 28 percent described themselves as “extreme right-wing,” 24 percent as “soft right,” 28 percent as “centrist,” and 16 percent as “soft left” or “extreme left.” Notably, the peace deal outlined received strong support from those who define themselves as “soft right.” 73 per cent of total respondents said they would support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he presented such a peace treaty and 56 per cent said they would support him if he set up a new centrist party.
The Israel Peace Initiative group said it is “clear that there is a significant increase in the willingness of the soft right to accept concessions and to support both an agreement and Netanyahu, should he lead this process.”