Survey indicates around three in four would find outcome at least
'tolerable'
A majority of both Palestinians and Israelis are willing to accept a
two-state solution, according to a poll from the international
grassroots movement One Voice.
Based on public opinion research methods used in Northern Ireland, 500
interviews were completed in Israel and 600 in the West Bank and Gaza
immediately following the Gaza war and the Israeli elections.
Each side was asked which problems they thought were "very significant"
and what the solutions might be.
The results indicate that 74% of Palestinians and 78% of Israelis are
willing to accept a two-state solution on an option range from
"tolerable" to "essential", while 59% of Palestinians and 66% of
Israelis find a single bi-national state "unacceptable".
The poll comes as it emerged Barack Obama is to invite Israeli,
Palestinian and Egyptian leaders to the White House within the next two
months in a fresh push for Middle East peace. Obama, speaking at the
White House yesterday, said there was a need to try to rise above the
cynicism about prospects for peace.
The results of today's poll imply that mainstream Israeli and
Palestinian populations have yet to acknowledge the significant
priorities and fears on the other side.
The top item for Palestinians is the establishment of an independent
sovereign state at 97%, followed by the rights of refugees at 95% and
agreement on the future of Jerusalem at 94%.
For Israelis the top item is security at 77%, followed by an agreement
on the future of Jerusalem at 68% and rights to natural resources at 62%.
An analysis of the poll by One Voice says: "It is absolutely essential
that the issues at the top of these two lists get dealt with in any
peace agreement or it is unlikely that that agreement will last. This
means Palestinians need to be aware of and address the 'Security of
Israel' problem that comes in 12th on the Palestinian list, and that
Israelis need to be aware of and address the cluster of issues at the
top of the Palestinian list."
The poll also revealed significant divisions about the issues of
settlements and refugees, on which there was no single proposed solution
which met with majority approval on both sides. Ninety-eight per cent of
Palestinians think that all the settlers should leave the occupied
territories with the settlements abolished – an option that 53% of
Israelis find unacceptable.
More than 90% of Palestinians want refugees to be given the right to
return with compensation, while 77% of Israelis say that is unacceptable.
On Jerusalem, the sides are poles apart. The most attractive option for
Palestinians – 95% – is for all of Jerusalem to remain in Palestine, and
for Israelis it is for all of Jerusalem to remain in Israel at 56%.
The report says that "as these two options are mutually exclusive
proposals to internationalise or divide the city also need to be
considered".
One Voice concludes that, at a minimum, the results suggest that "the
continued insistence of both sides on a negotiated and mutually
acceptable resolution could offer significant legitimacy to political
leaders looking to push for negotiations toward a two-state agreement".