A new poll has shown that a majority of Israelis – 51 percent – oppose the creation of a Palestinian state, as opposed to merely 31 percent that favor its establishment. The poll, conducted by Maagar Mohot Survey Institute during February 2-3, 2009, also found that 52 percent of Israelis believe that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria lead to rocket fire on Jerusalem, Kfar Sava and other cities in central Israel, whereas only 22 percent believe it would not. (‘Poll: Israelis oppose Palestinian State 51%:32% – 31% of Kadima voters would drop support if thought Kadima supports Pal State,’ Independent Media Review & Analysis, February 9, 2009).

Previous polls showing majority Israeli opposition to concessions to the Palestinian Authority:

·        July 2008: Nearly three-quarters – 73 percent – of Jerusalem‘s residents (including Israeli Arabs) opposed the division of the city with physical barriers, as opposed to only 27% who were willing to support it. (Maagar Mohot Survey Institute poll, July 23, 2008, ‘Polls: 73%:27% Jerusalem residents oppose physical separation in city in wake of attacks,’ Independent Media Review & Analysis, July 24, 2008).

• October 2007: 53 percent of Israelis opposed U.S. funding for the Palestinian Authority (PA), only 16 percent supported it. (Brains’ Trust (Maagar Mochot) Research Institute, October 2007)


• October 2007: A clear majority of Jewish Israelis – 59 percent to 33 percent – opposed, even in return for a peace agreement, Israel handing over to the PA various Arab neighborhoods in the eastern half of Jerusalem (Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research and the Evens Program in Mediation and Conflict Resolution of Tel Aviv University poll, October 2007).


• May 2007: 53 percent of Israelis opposed withdrawals from Judea and Samaria, even in return for a “real peace.” (Dahaf Institute poll for the Knesset Channel, May 2007).


• March 2007: 72 percent of Israelis opposed uprooting Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria; 71 percent believed that the Palestinian Arabs’ goal is destroying Israel, not a peaceful Palestinian state alongside Israel; only 28 percent of Israelis supported the ‘land for peace’ formula, while 58 percent opposed it. (INSS, previously Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, poll, March 2007).

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “This poll result contributes to a number that has shown that most Israelis today are reluctant to proceed with any further concessions to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and do not believe that such concessions, even up to and including the setting up of a Palestinian state, would bring the long awaited peace for which Israelis yearn.

“This poll also shows a decline in Israelis willing to support under current conditions the establishment of a Palestinian state. Thus, a poll as recently as last December showed that about two-thirds (63%) of Israelis expressed agreement with the statement that ‘In reality, most of the Palestinians do not accept the existence of the State of Israel and would destroy it if they could, despite the fact that the PLO leadership is conducting peace negotiations with Israel,’ yet a majority of Israelis in that poll were willing to take the risk to negotiate the establishment of a Palestinian state. This poll suggests that such a majority has vanished.

“Put simply, a clear majority of the Israeli public believe that relinquishing historically Jewish and strategically vital territory to an enemy regime that has not changed its ways is wrong. Israelis are clearly showing, by the sort of results in this poll and others in recent years, that they do not trust the PA as being a genuine peace partner whose signature on a peace settlement would actually mean anything. Quite clearly, most Israelis believe that whatever parts of Jerusalem might be ceded in a hypothetical peace agreement, the PA would never honor it, Palestinian demands and terror would not cease, and Israel’s position, to say nothing of the security and tranquility of Jerusalem, would be drastically affected.”