As a further indication of softening of attitudes among both the Israelis and Palestinians, the Jerusalem Post (I can’t even believe I’m linking to an article from this right-wing rag–but even this is an indication of changing times) published a joint Israeli-Palestinian poll indicating tremendous support within both communities for current peace overtures. The poll was jointly conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research and Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace (Hebrew University) between March 8-13th. The margin of error was 3%. What is telling (and most unfortunate) is that the headline for the survey results at the Palestinian site is “Palestinians and Israelis Disagree on How to Proceed with the Peace Process.” Now, I didn’t conduct this poll and they did, but I think this headline does a massive disservice to the positive attitudes represented by many of the results.
The survey results are summarized here at the Palestinian research site. Here’s a representative sampling:
* 84% of the Palestinians and 85% of the Israelis support a return to negotiations on a comprehensive settlement.
* 59% of the Palestinians and 60% of the Israelis support the Quartet’s Road Map plan.
* 70% of the Israelis and 59% of the Palestinians believe that it is possible to reach a compromise settlement with the other side’s current leadership.
* 61% among Israelis and 62% among Palestinians believe their own leadership is strong enough to convince its constituency to accept such an agreement.
* 48% of the Israelis believe that Israel should also negotiate with Hamas if it is necessary in order to reach a compromise agreement. [This to me is one of the most shocking and interesting results listed]
* 52% of the Israelis support and 44% oppose a referendum on Sharon’s disengagement plan. [This will be a consolation to the settler movement which calls for such a referendum in hopes that Israelis will renounce the withdrawal through the ballot box…]
* If a referendum on Sharon’s disengagement plan were held today, 65% of the Israeli public would support it, compared to 29% who would oppose it. 49% among Israelis support the participation of Israeli Arabs in such a referendum, compared to 48% who oppose it. […and happily this result dashes the settlers’ hopes that they can do an end run on Sharon to appeal directly to the people and overturn his policy]
* 67% of the Israelis support and 30% oppose the dismantling of most of the settlements in the territories as part of a peace agreement with the Palestinians.[Another extremely encouraging result]
* 75% of the Palestinians see Sharon’s plan to evacuate the Israeli settlements from Gaza as a victory for the Palestinian armed struggle against Israel, while 23% do not see it as such. Among Israelis, 44% see Sharon’s plan to evacuate the Israeli settlements from Gaza as a victory for the Palestinian armed struggle against Israel, while 50% don’t think it is a Palestinian victory.
* 29% of the Palestinians in turn support and 68% oppose the continuation of armed attacks against Israeli targets from the Gaza Strip after full Israeli disengagement.[Another encouraging result which refutes the right-wing Israeli attitude that all Palestinians are by nature sworn and eternal enemies of the Jewish people]
* 55% among Israelis and 79% among Palestinians believe that the US should increase its involvement in trying to solve the Israeli Palestinian conflict.[Are you listening, George and Condi?]
* 41% of the Israelis now expect full reconciliation to be achieved in the next decade or in the next few years compared to only 32% who thought so in June 2004. 24% of the Palestinians expect full reconciliation to be achieved in the next decade or in the next few years compared to 15% last June.[I can’t tell you how many right wingers I’ve debated who contend there will never be peace between the two peoples. This result begins to put the lie to that attitude]
* 55% of the Israelis and 89% of the Palestinians will support open borders to free movement of people and goods after a comprehensive settlement is reached.[This too is a positive portent for fruitful economic relations in the future]
* 70% of the Israelis and 73% of the Palestinians support joint economic institutions.
* 43% of the Israelis and 40% of the Palestinians will support joint political institutions designed eventually to lead to a confederate system given a comprehensive settlement. [an interesting result]
* 66% of the Israelis and 42% of the Palestinians support taking legal measures against incitement directed towards the other side.
What do you make of the following finding:
48) After reaching a peace agreement between the Palestinian side and Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian state that is recognized by Israel, the following are steps that may be taken in order to enhance relations between the State of Israel and a Palestinian State. For each of the suggested steps please tell me whether you support or oppose it:
48-5 Adopt school curriculum in the Palestinian state that recognizes Israel and teaches school children not to demand return of all Palestine to the Palestinians:
51% of the Israelis and 13% of the Palestinians will support adoption of a school curriculum that recognizes the sovereignty of the other state and educates against irredentist aspirations. In June 2004 41% of the Israelis and 4% of the Palestinians thought so.
Saul: How art thou a coward? Let me count the ways. First, you provide a fake e mail address & no URL & so hide yourself behind a cloak of anonymity.
Personally, I feel no need or interest in carrying on a conversation with lurkers. And certainly not with ones like Saul who ask hectoring questions as if they’re your 10th grade French teacher demanding that you answer a quiz question. I finished 10th grade French a long time ago & I’m far past the time when I feel compelled to answer questions of people who don’t like me and vice versa.
But just for the hell of it I’ll respond to Saul in the manner he deserves. First, Saul baby, if you want to refer to external documents in your comment–do us the favor of identifying what you’re quoting (i.e. what the hell does 48 and 48.5 correspond to??). Is this some document you’ve dreamed up yourself or is it a list of conditions Tom DeLay & his buddies dreamed up to stymie Bush in his effort to aid the Palestinians?
How important is it in the overall scheme of things what Palestinians teach in their classrooms or Israelis in their classrooms? Not very. To be a bit flippant, much of what I was taught in school was a bunch of crap. Why should it be much different over there? Look, I take your point–teaching Palestinian kids that Jews have big noses or that we own all the capital in the world or that we control the media or whatever is bad, very bad. We want that to stop and it will stop as soon as there is peace & stability between the two peoples.
But if you ask me whether it’s more important that a strong majority of both peoples want peace, are willing to renounce terrorism & other forms of militancy & are willing to dismantle settlements; or whether it’s more important that Palestinians don’t seem to want to teach their children to accept Israel’s existence–I sure know what I think it more important.
So you’ve read the long list of poll results almost all of which are positive for prospects for peace and you’ve managed to find a single result that seems (to you) to prove the Palestinians do not want peace–well, all I can say is congratulations, because you’ve just made yourself feel very comfortable in your conviction that Palestinians don’t want peace. And you are terribly deluded in thinking this. What, would you LIKE to see a bombing in Israel to prove your view correct? Or would you like to see Israel assassinate a major Palestinian leader so the war can resume once more? Then you’d feel good about yourself wouldn’t you? And who knows, you just might get your wish because Israelis & Palestinians have done many such stupid things to ruin periods of calm that might’ve lead to peace. But I for one hope you are wrong, dead wrong.
Richard, thanks for your empty response. Yes, I do not want to leave my address on your board. I have no wish to insult you on your board. I’m sorry my comment did not give you pause for a minute to actually think.
You “have no wish to insult” me yet you thank me for my “empty response” and claim I didn’t “pause for a minute to actually think.” You my friend are a too-cute-by-half, disingenuous liar.
Instead of responding to the substance of any of my remarks you write a dismissive, vapid insult that took no actual thought or effort to write. That’s a mighty impressive intellectual accomplishment. Maybe the thrust of my remarks was so intimidating that you chose to reply dismissively instead of substantively?
I’ll take you at your word that you don’t wish to insult me though I don’t trust you won’t make such a ridiculous comment again. Because of this & because you seem to like lurking in the anonymous shadows (which offends me), you will not be welcome back to make comments here again.