(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in Israel are in favour of their prime minister’s decision to carry on with construction in Jerusalem, according to a poll by Maagar Mochot. 62 per cent of respondents support the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in Israel are in favour of their prime minister’s decision to carry on with construction in Jerusalem, according to a poll by Maagar Mochot. 62 per cent of respondents support the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu.
In February 2009, Israeli voters renewed the Knesset. The Likud party, led by Netanyahu, secured 27 seats in the legislature. The far-right Israel Our Home, the Labour party, the International Organization of Torah-observant Sephardic Jews (Shas), United Torah Judaism, and the Jewish Home joined Likud in a coalition. In March, Netanyahu was sworn in as prime minister.
Netanyahu served as prime minister from June 1996 to July 1999, and resigned from Ariel Sharon’s cabinet—where he held the finance portfolio—after opposing the "Disengagement Plan."
During the six-day war in 1967, Israel gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. Saudi Arabia has proposed the Arab Peace Initiative (API) to reconcile Israel and the Palestinians. The plan states that Israel will retreat from all territories occupied in 1967, and a Palestinian state would be established.
Earlier this month, Israel announced it would build 1,600 homes in the Ramat Shlomo area of eastern Jerusalem. The decision was criticized by U.S. state secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, who declared: "We objected to this announcement because we are committed to Israel and its security, which we believe depends on a comprehensive peace."
On Mar. 23, Netanyahu defended his actions during a speech in Washington, saying, "Jerusalem is not a settlement, it is our capital. The Jewish people were building Jerusalem 3,000 years ago and they are building Jerusalem today."
Polling Data
Do you support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to continue construction in Jerusalem?
|
Yes
|
62%
|
|
No
|
26%
|
|
Not sure
|
12%
|
Source: Maagar Mochot
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 511 Israeli adults, conducted on Mar. 16 and Mar. 17, 2010. Margin of error is 4.5 per cent.
