Poll reveals that most leftist Israelis oppose relinquishing Jerusalem in negotiations

A public opinion poll conducted in Israel has revealed that 67 per cent of Israelis who vote for left of centre parties oppose splitting Jerusalem and reject any Israeli withdrawal from the occupied city. This puts them in the same camp as Israel’s extreme right-wing parties.

The survey was conducted during November by the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs, which is headed by Israel’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Dore Gold. The poll’s findings are surprising, especially with respect to leftist voters who expressed extreme right positions.

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The poll also showed that 50 per cent of Labour Party voters prefer defendable borders rather than reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians. However, 35 per cent of the supporters of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu Party (before its coalition with Likud) said that they support the evacuation of those settlements outside the large settlement blocs if it is carried out in the context of a political agreement.

According to the poll, 20 per cent of left-wing voters take hawkish positions on political and security issues, while 20 per cent of right-wing voters take relatively dovish positions.

The opinions of those who might support Tzipi Livni’s new party were not identified in the poll, which was conducted before Meretz (The Movement) was founded.

Around half of Israeli voters would not vote for a party that is ready to relinquish control over the Jordan Valley, while 67 per cent would not vote for one which declares its readiness to give up a “united Jerusalem”.

Many Israeli voters clearly expect the Palestinians to make all of the compromises in any peace negotiations; 80 per cent of the Labour Party’s supporters and 62 per cent of Yesh Atid voters attach importance to Palestinian recognition of Israel as a “Jewish state”; 60 per cent of Labour supporters and 71 per cent of Yesh Atid supporters, meanwhile, do not believe that withdrawal to pre-1967 borders and the partition of Jerusalem will lead to an end to the conflict.