Most Israelis support J'lem concessions

Poll: 75% of those ready for concessions think real peace is not possible.

By ELANA BROWNSTEIN
western wall 224.88 (photo credit: AP)
western wall 224.88
(photo credit: AP)
A recent study shows that 63 percent of Israelis are willing to make concessions on the borders of Jerusalem in exchange for "real peace" with the Palestinians. Of them, 54% are willing to relinquish Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, but not in the Old City, the Jewish Quarter or the Western Wall, according to the study by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies. Seventy-five percent of those who said they would be willing to make concessions for peace admitted they did not believe that real peace with the Palestinians was a possibility.
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The study, which examined the public's attitude toward the option of the re-division of Jerusalem on a demographic basis, found that 39% of Israelis are unwilling to make any concessions on the boundaries of Jerusalem. The majority of those who said they would make concessions for peace identified themselves as traditional or secular Israelis as opposed to those who considered themselves to be ultra orthodox. The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies will hold a public conference Wednesday at 5 p.m. for representatives from seven major political parties to represent their party platforms on the issue of the future of Jerusalem. The institute's director, Ora Ahimeir, points out that there have been fundamental changes in the general opinion with regard to Jerusalem since the 2003 election, when there was a near-consensus that the boundaries of Jerusalem were non-negotiable. Members of Knesset or representatives from Likud, Labor, Kadima, Meretz, Shas, Ra'am-Ta'al and Yisrael Beiteinu will be present at Wednesday's conference, which will take place at the Institute's headquarters, at Radak 20, in Jerusalem.