Israelis don't think elections will impact peace process, poll finds

49% of Jewish Israelis and 20% of Arab Israelis polled believe that the US administration will be friendlier toward a government headed by Herzog and Livni than one headed by Netanyahu.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
Herzog meets with Abbas in Ramallah (photo credit: OFFICE OF ISAAC HERZOG (LABOR))
Herzog meets with Abbas in Ramallah
(photo credit: OFFICE OF ISAAC HERZOG (LABOR))
Israelis do not believe next Tuesday's election could lead to a peace process with the Palestinian Authority because they doubt the intentions of the current Palestinian leadership, according to a new poll released Tuesday.
The monthly Peace Index poll sponsored by The Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University asked respondents about the impact on the peace process of what party will form the next government.
Sixty four percent of Israeli Jews and 35% of Israeli Arabs are sure or think the Palestinian leadership will not show greater flexibility and readiness for concessions if the next government is formed by Zionist Union leaders Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni.
Thirty percent of Israeli Jews and 23% of Israeli Arabs think or are sure that the Palestinian leadership will show greater flexibility and readiness for concessions if a government headed by Herzog and Livni is formed.
Similarly, 64% agreed with the statement that no matter which party forms the next government the peace process with the Palestinians will not advance because there is no solution to the dispute. Thirty-two percent disagreed.
Among Israeli Arabs, 31% agreed, 32% disagreed, and the rest did not know or had no opinion.
But when it comes to the friendliness of US president Barack Obama's administration, Israelis did expect a difference if Netanyahu is defeated by the Zionist Union. Some 49% of Jewish Israelis and 20% of Arab Israelis believe that the US administration will be friendlier toward a government headed by Herzog and Livni than one headed by Netanyahu.
A third of Jewish Israelis and 17% of Arab Israelis believe the US will be just as unfriendly to a Herzog/Livni government as it would be to a Netanyahu government. Seven percent of Jewish Israelis and 14% of Arab Israelis believe the US will be less friendly to a Herzog/Livni government, and three percent of Jewish Israelis and 11% of Arab Israelis believe the friendliness of the US will depend on the policy of the Herzog/Livni government.
When asked who is responsible for the deterioration of US-Israel Relations, 34% of Jewish Israelis believe that both sides are equally to blame, 32% believe the Obama administration is more responsible and 27% believe the Netanyahu government is more responsible.
Among Arab Israelis, 40% believe that both sides are equally to blame for the deterioration in US-Israel relations, 21% believe the Israeli government is more responsible, and 8% believe the US government is more responsible.
The survey of  600 respondents who constitute a representative sample of the adult population of Israel was conducted last week. The maximum measurement error for a sample of this size is ±4.1%.