Majority of Israeli Jews say Judea and Samaria towns contribute to security

While in October only a third of Israeli Jews said they agreed with this course of action, the figure has since risen to 47%.

By Akiva Van Konigsveld, JNS

Fifty-eight percent of Israeli Jews believe that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria contribute to the security of the entire country, according to a poll published by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) on Tuesday.

Asked whether they concurred with the statement that “Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria create deterrence and contribute to the security of all citizens of Israel,” 46% responded that they “very much agree,” while 12% said they “somewhat” concur.

In the past six months, there has been an increase in the percentage of Jews who believe that Israel “should strengthen its control over the Palestinians, expand settlements, consider dissolving the Palestinian Authority and perhaps annexing Judea and Samaria,” according to the survey.

While in October only a third of Israeli Jews said they agreed with this course of action, the figure has since risen to 47%.

At the same time, there was a decline in Jews who believe Israel should strive for a peace agreement with “moderate Palestinians” and allow the establishment of a “peaceful” Palestinian state alongside the Jewish one.

While in October a fifth of Israeli Jews backed a Palestinian state, this share has plummeted to 11%, according to the latest JPPI poll.

The survey suggests that 85% of the Jewish public in Israel thinks that “there is no chance of a peace agreement with the Palestinians in the foreseeable future,” including 70% that said they strongly believe this.

“The survey results show that a large majority of Israelis believe that a solution to the ‘Palestinian issue’ and Israel’s control over Judea and Samaria is unlikely in the foreseeable future,” said JPPI director-general Shuki Friedman.

This represents “an opportunity for Israeli society to move past this dispute and address pressing internal issues,” he added.