October 15, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Israel are satisfied with the prospect of an agreement between their country and Palestinian leaders, according to a poll by Dialog published in Haaretz. 51 per cent of respondents support the final status talks being carried on between Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Israel are satisfied with the prospect of an agreement between their country and Palestinian leaders, according to a poll by Dialog published in Haaretz. 51 per cent of respondents support the final status talks being carried on between Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.

When asked if an eventual final agreement should include the transfer of Arab neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem to the Palestinians while Jewish neighbourhoods remain under Israeli sovereignty, 50 per cent of respondents express opposition.

The fate of Jerusalem—which is considered holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians—has always been one of the major sticking points during peace negotiations. The largely Arab neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem were captured and annexed by Israel following the 1967 War, in a move that was not recognized internationally.

On Oct. 8, Israeli deputy prime minister Chaim Ramon suggested giving part of Jerusalem to the Palestinians as a way to solve the ongoing crisis between the two peoples. Olmert later declared before the Knesset: "I am determined to make brave but inevitable decisions that will mean foregoing the full achievement of dreams that fuelled our national ethos for years." Likud leader and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the Jerusalem partition plan that same day, saying it would make the Israeli part "uninhabitable."

Yesterday, trade and industry minister Eli Yishai discussed the situation, saying, "Today we have a Palestinian Authority with two heads. It is impossible to sign an agreement with only 40 per cent of the Palestinian people. We need a real reinforcement, rather than a virtual one."

In June, amid a wave of violent clashes between Palestinian supporters of the Hamas and Fatah factions, Hamas militants seized control of Gaza. Abbas issued a decree to form a 12-member emergency government—based in the West Bank—and expelled Hamas from the administration. Hamas has refused to recognize the legitimacy of the government led by Abbas.

Polling Data

Do you support the final status talks being carried on between Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas?

Yes	51%
No	42%
Don’t know	7%

Do you support that within the framework of a final agreement that Arab neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem be transferred to the Palestinians and Jewish neighbourhoods remain under Israeli sovereignty?

Yes	40%
No	50%
Don’t know	10%

Source: Dialog / Haaretz
Methodology: Interviews with 502 Israeli adults, conducted on Oct. 9, 2007. Margin of error is 5.2 per cent.