Issue Watch
Track global public opinion on current issues.
- 2008: Race for the White House
- 2008: The U.S. Electoral College
- Abortion
- Africa
- Angela Merkel
- Death Penalty
- Economy and Globalization
- Environment
- European Union
- George W. Bush
- Global Warming
- Gordon Brown
- Hamas
- Immigration
- Iran
- Iraq War
- Kevin Rudd
- Latin America
- New Zealand Election 2008
- Nicolas Sarkozy
- North Korea
- Oil and Gas
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Silvio Berlusconi
- Stem Cell Research
- Stephen Harper
- Terrorism
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Democrats
- U.S. Election 2008 - The Republicans
- U.S. Election 2008: The Primaries
- Vladimir Putin
- Yasuo Fukuda
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Most Israelis Mistrust Syrian Government
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Israel are sceptical about the Syrian government's recent attempts to seek peace, according to a poll by the Dahaf Institute published in Yediot Ahronot. 62 per cent of respondents do not believe Syrian president Bashar Assad wants peace, while 33 per cent think he does.
In August 2006, Israeli internal security minister Avi Dichter presented a proposal to negotiate for peace with Syria in return for the Golan Heights. Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert dismissed the idea, saying, "So long as I am prime minister, the Golan Heights will remain in our hands, as it is an inseparable part of the State of Israel."
The area of the Golan Heights—approximately 1,860 square kilometres of land—was seized by Israel during the 1967 war, and annexed to its territory in 1981.
On Jul. 19, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met with Assad in Damascus. Also present at the closed-door meeting were leaders of the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah; the Palestinian faction currently controlling the Gaza Strip, Hamas; and members of Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian radical group. 53 per cent of respondents believe the need for Israeli-Syrian peace talks has increased after this meeting.
In early July, Assad called for resuming peace negotiations with Israel through a third party. On Jul. 19, Israeli president Shimon Peres commented on Assad's proposal, saying, "If Syria wants true peace, there is no substitute for direct negotiations between it and Israel which will open with a meeting between the leaders and will symbolize mutual recognition, at the opening stage."
Polling Data
Do you believe that Syrian president Bashar Assad wants peace?
Yes | 33% |
No | 62% |
After the meeting between Syrian president Bashar Assad and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has the need for negotiations with Syria increased?
Yes | 53% |
No | 40% |
Source: Dahaf Institute / Yediot Ahronot
Methodology: Interviews with 500 Israeli adults, conducted on Jul. 27, 2007. Margin of error is 4.5 per cent.