Israelis want two-state negotiations, prefer next deal with Arab state
A poll of Israelis has found backing for a two state solution, and support for a deal with Qatar.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFL to R: Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords. September 15, 2020(photo credit: REUTERS/TOM BRENNER)
Israelis want negotiations with the Palestinians based on two-states, but prefer that the next agreement reached should be with a Gulf state, preferably Qatar, according to a poll commissioned by the left-wing Geneva Initiative in conjunction with the Adva Center.Of the 503 Israelis surveyed on September 14 and 15, 49% said they supported “the renewal of negotiations with Palestinians on the basis of the two-state solution,” and 35% said they opposed such a move.The survey included 280 self-identified right-wing respondents, out of whom 31.5% supported talks for two states. There were also 130 self-identified Likud supporters in the survey, out of whom 29% expressed a preference for negotiations for two states.The survey question was vague and did not include a definition of what the borders of such a two-state resolution would look like.Some 39% of the respondents said they preferred that Israel’s next deal be with one of three Gulf states.Out of that number, 25% said they wanted the next deal to be with Qatar, 8% said they favored Oman and 6% said they wanted to see a deal with Sudan.Out of the right-wing Israelis, 32% said they preferred Qatar, and out of the Likud respondents 26% said they preferred Qatar.The respondents were given only these three states as an option.Another 34% of the respondents said they preferred that Israel make a deal first with the Palestinians before inking another Gulf states agreement.The survey of Israelis over the age of 18, including 75 Arab citizens, was conducted by the Midgam Institute, led by Mano Gev. It has a margin of error of 4.3%. The research was done on September 14 and 15, just as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington to sign normalization documents with two Gulf states – the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.In exchange for the peace deal with the UAE, known as the Abraham Accords, Israel agreed to suspend its plan to annex 30% of the West Bank.Out of those polled, 47% said they supported that suspension and 24% said they opposed it. Out of the Likud respondents, 36% said they supported the suspension, 32% said they opposed it.Israeli director-general of the Geneva Initiative Gadi Baltiansky said that the data showed that the Israeli citizens still recognized the importance of making peace with the Palestinians.“The Israeli public understands that even during the corona days, a peace process with the Palestinians is needed and that it may even help in dealing with the current crisis,” Baltiansky said.
