Americans are less supportive than ever of a Palestinian state and extremely skeptical that a deal would prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, according to a new poll.
A new poll shows that American support for a Palestinian state has reached a two decade-low, with just 39% in favor. A majority are in favor of an agreement with Iran in concept, but 59% are not confident that it would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
According to the poll, which was conducted by the Washington Post and ABC News, 39% of Americans support a Palestinian state with 36% opposed. By comparing these results with Gallup polls going back to 1998, the pollsters concluded that this was the lowest level of support ever recorded. Support for a Palestinian state was highest in 2003, when 58% of Americans were in favor.
The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been stagnant, due in part to the decision by the Palestinian leadership to take unilateral steps at the International Criminal Court (ICC) towards the de facto establishment of a Palestinian state rather than directly negotiating with Israel. These steps have included a failed bid for recognition by the UN, followed by a successful bid to join the ICC. The Palestinian Authority accedes to the ICC today.
On Iran, 59% of Americans said they would support a nuclear agreement with Iran in theory, with 31% opposed. However, only 37% believe that an agreement would succeed in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, while 59% fear otherwise.
The P5+1 deadline to reach a draft agreement with Iran on its nuclear program has been extended past the March 31st deadline. Disagreement remains on a number of substantive issues, such as how soon sanctions on Iran will be lifted, how long the agreement will remain in force and how much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure will be allowed to remain intact.