clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Just 9% of Israel voters say conflict with Palestinians is top concern

February 21, 2019 at 11:42 am

Voting booth is seen during the election period in Israel [PROHeinrich-Böll-Stiftung/Flickr]

Only nine per cent of Israeli voters have said their top concern going into April’s elections is the conflict with the Palestinians, according to a new poll reported on by the Jerusalem Post.

By contrast, 32 per cent of voters “care first and foremost about the cost of living”, the report stated, followed by 26 per cent “that said they prioritise security, including the battle against terrorism”.

Voters most likely to prioritise the conflict with the Palestinians were those backing Meretz and Labor (who placed the conflict second), and supporters of National Union and Zehut, who ranked the conflict as their most important topic.

READ: Ultra-right Jewish Power to compete in Israel elections with Jewish Home 

A separate two per cent, meanwhile, answered that “they cared first and foremost about the future of Judea and Samaria [the occupied West Bank]”.

The poll was commissioned by Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS), which lobbies for an Israeli withdrawal from portions of the West Bank and separation from the Palestinians.

The poll also asked respondents about their preferred solution to the conflict.

Some 28 per cent backed a two-state solution, 22 per cent annexation, 20 per cent said they did not know, while 19 per cent wanted some form of “separation” with the Israeli army remaining in the West Bank. Another 11 per cent said they preferred the status quo.