On February 10th and 11th, New Wave Research (a subsidiary of the Nielsen Group) carried out a public opinion Internet survey for the Israeli Peace Initiative Group (IPI). The survey was based on a representative sample of 508 respondents from Israel’s Jewish population.
In a special interview with JBN, Koby Huberman, the co-founder of the IPI – presented the surprising findings of the study:
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• 78% Believe that a regional agreement will improve Israel’s economic situation 52% of respondents believe that the annexation of territory in Judea and Samaria will have severe negative implications for Israel.
• 79% of Israelis will vote in the coming elections for a change in the socio-economic situation.
• 42% of Israelis support the claim that keeping the political status quo concerning our approach to a peace plan economically harms Israeli citizens.
• 55% support the principles of a regional solution without being exposed to details of a regional agreement).
• 66% claim they have heard of the Arab Initiative (an increase from 36% just one year ago) Israelis support the individual parameters of an Israeli-Palestinian deal (such as the ’67 borders with minor land swap, agreed solution on the refugees, security arrangements and an arrangement in Jerusalem) at a level of 40%-65%, but 72% are prepared to accept the same parameters as part of a regional-Palestinian package deal to end the conflict.
• 64% Of Israelis believe that continued political deadlock causes damage to security.
• 60% think that Israel will be more secure thanks to a regional-Palestinian arrangement combined with security cooperation with Arab countries to fight terror and confront Iran.
• 55% of the survey’s respondents believe in the security concept presented by the CIS – the recently formed “Commanders for Israel’s Security” movement – that a regional agreement will bring more security to Israel; while only 33% support Netanyahu’s position that a compromise will lead to security risks.
The survey shows that Israeli public opinion is currently more open to acknowledge the linkage between the daily economic concerns and the stalling peace process with no political horizon. The longing for change is across-the-board and is most evident among those defining themselves as middle class. The largest group of the public that is open to change is composed of people who define themselves as middle class aged 25-45.
Our own perspective is that the survey’s results are an indication of three positive trends – the majority of Israelis realize the political, security and economic risks resulting from the status quo and the political deadlock; a growing number of Israelis are now aware of the Arab Peace Initiative and the regional opportunity; and, Israelis clearly prefer a regional-Palestinian “package deal” agreement to a bilateral deal”.
JBN: To what extent, do you suppose, will the positions presented in this study are reflected in the results of the Israeli elections will take place in a few days, on March 17 ?
Huberman: “While we are encouraged by the underlying positions and trends, we understand that their full effect may not manifest itself in the coming elections. The fragmentation of the Israeli political system may lead to a coalition that will lack the political courage to make dramatic progress towards a regional solution and we will need to further push and encourage the next government to accept our regional approach and present an official Israeli peace initiative.
JBN: Who is the Israeli Peace Initiative?
Huberman: In April 2011 an Israeli non-partisan civil society group called “Israel Yozemet” (“Israeli Peace Initiative”), co-founded and led by Yuval Rabin and myself, launched its proposal for an Israeli Peace Initiative (IPI). The IPI is the first-ever Israeli proposal accepting the Arab Peace Initiative from 2002 (API) as a framework for regional negotiations. The IPI Group has more than 800 signatories – prominent Israelis from various parties, who represent the pragmatic center thinking in Israel – ex-Military and ex-Security figures, diplomats, business people, scholars and Middle-East experts.
For us, the commitment to reach the end of the Israeli-Arab conflict is just one element of a comprehensive vision, which we aim to turn to reality, based on four transformations – which we believe will lead to a peaceful, strong, secure, prosperous, and liberal Israel – a real “Or Lagoyim” – as Israel was originally envisioned by our founding fathers”.
