ME opinion survey shows 54% don't believe in a lasting peace.
By YONI COHENBarak Mitchell 311(photo credit: Ariel Hermoni / Defense Ministry)
Fifty six percent of Arabs in the Middle East say they are prepared for peace if Israel is willing to return all 1967 territories including east Jerusalem, according to a recent poll published Thursday. This is compared with only 45% agreeing with statement in 2009.Even though optimism was expressed over a willingness for peace, 54% of those questioned said they don’t believe a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians will ever happen.RELATED:Accepting Israel as the Jewish statePoll: 71.5% Israelis favor peace talksThe poll, titled "2010 Arab Public Opinion Poll," was published by Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland and nonresident senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings.The poll surveyed 3,976 people in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates, during the period of June 29–July 20, 2010 in order to gain an understanding of Middle Eastern Arab's opinions on a number of issues including Israel, Obama and Iran.According to the poll, 44% of Arabs in the Middle East say that Israel is not as powerful as it looks.When asked about the Obama administration the poll found that only 16% of respondents were hopeful, while a majority - 63% - were discouraged. This was compared attitudes in 2009 when 51% of the respondents in the six countries expressed optimism about American policy in the Middle East.On Iran's potential nuclear weapons status, results show another dramatic shift in public opinion.Results differed from country to country but in 2009, only 29% of those polled said that Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons would be "positive" for the Middle East, whereas in 2010, 57% of those polled indicate that such an outcome would be "positive" for the Middle East.
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