Majority of Jewish Israelis back Trump’s Jerusalem declaration

A clear majority of Jewish Israelis back US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a new poll has shown.

According to the monthly ‘Peace Index’ by the Israel Democracy Institute (full results here), 65 percent of Jewish Israelis believed that Trump’s declaration last month was in Israel’s best interests, as opposed to 23 percent who believed the move damaged them.

The poll also revealed that a smaller majority, 59 percent, of Jewish Israelis believes that Trump understands Israel’s real interests (versus 37 percent who thinks he does not). Amongst Palestinian citizens, those numbers are reversed: 38 percent says he does, 53 percent says he doesn’t.

Meanwhile, the poll also asked Israelis what “should be Jerusalem’s status after there is stable peace between Israel and the Palestinians”.

An overwhelming majority of Jewish Israelis – 72 percent – believe the “city should be united and the capital of Israel” (20 percent agreed with the added caveat “except for the Islamic holy places”).

Read: Why America’s declaration on Jerusalem is wrong

Only 6 percent of Palestinian citizens thought similarly.

Just 12 percent of Jewish Israelis said that occupied East Jerusalem should be the capital of Palestine (compared to 44 percent of Palestinian citizens who affirmed this position).