Israelis pessimistic about next gov’t making peace with Palestinians - poll

Israelis prefer two state solution to one state and a permanent agreement to the status quo.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Jewish youth wave Israeli flags as they participate in a march marking "Jerusalem Day", near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City June 2, 2019 (photo credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)
Jewish youth wave Israeli flags as they participate in a march marking "Jerusalem Day", near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City June 2, 2019
(photo credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)
The majority of Israelis do not expect the next government to do more to reach a peace treaty with the Palestinians, a poll commissioned by the Geneva Initiative found.
More than half (56%) of Israelis expect the next government will do less (19%) or the same (37%) to work towards a peace agreement, while 44% expect it to do more.
Most of those surveyed (53%) thought that Israel has not made enough of an effort to reach a peace agreement in the past decade, while 28% said Israel did make a sufficient effort and 19% didn’t know, and most (56%) thought that allowing the current situation to continue is bad for Israel, while 23% thought it was good and 21% didn’t know.
Of the following options, 57% preferred a two-state solution, 26% chose one state with fewer rights for Palestinians and 17% preferred one state with equal rights for all.
Another poll question gave different options for the next decade: 53% preferred that Israel and the Palestinians reach a permanent agreement, 21% that Israel annex the West Bank, 12% that the situation stay the same, 9% don’t know and 5% that Israel will unilaterally withdraw from most of the West Bank.
The Geneva Initiative, the organization that ordered the poll, promotes a two-state agreement between Israel and the Palestinians based on a 2003 draft of such an agreement reached by former senior officials on both sides. The plan includes conceding the vast majority of the West Bank and dividing Jerusalem.
Geneva Initiative Director-General Gadi Baltiansky said it is clear that if the next government reignites a peace process aimed at a two-state solution, it will have broad public support.
“The public is more realistic than some of its leaders and understands that the lack of a diplomatic process and a real effort to solve the conflict hurts Israel,” he posited.
Baltiansky called on political parties to “present a vision of peace” ahead of the March election.
The survey was conducted in November by I-Panels, and released to The Jerusalem Post this week. A representative sample of 615 Israeli adults were polled, and the margin of error is 3.5%.