The FINANCIAL — Amid the breakdown of peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, the public is divided over whether a way can be found for a peaceful two-state solution in the Middle East.
The FINANCIAL — Amid the breakdown of peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, the public is divided over whether a way can be found for a peaceful two-state solution in the Middle East. Overall, 46% say an independent Palestinian state can coexist peacefully with Israel, 44% do not think this can happen.A year ago, 50% thought it was possible for an independent Palestinian state to exist peacefully alongside Israel, 41% did not, according to Pew Research Center.
Republicans are particularly skeptical about the prospects for a peaceful two-state solution: just 34% think a way can be found for this to happen. Independents (50%) and Democrats (52%) are more optimistic that a solution can be found.
A landmark 2013 Pew Research survey of Jewish Americans found 61% of U.S. Jews expressing optimism about the possibility of a peaceful two-state solution. A Pew Global Attitudes Project survey, conducted last spring, found that 50% of Israelis and just 14% of Palestinians believed that a peaceful two-state solution was possible. That report found optimism for a two-state solution was highest in France (71%) and lowest in Lebanon (11%) and the Palestinian territories, among the 13 countries surveyed, according to Pew Research Center.
The current survey finds that in the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, the U.S. public’s sympathies continue to lie much more with Israel. Roughly half (53%) say they sympathize more with Israel, 11% sympathize more with the Palestinians, and 16% volunteer that they sympathize with neither side. Support for Israel in its dispute with the Palestinians has been consistent over the nearly four-decade history of this measure. There continue to be partisan differences in views: 68% of Republicans sympathize more with Israel compared with 46% of Democrats (just 15% of Democrats and 7% of Republicans sympathize more with the Palestinians).
The survey was completed before controversy arose over Secretary of State John Kerry’s comment at a closed-door meeting last week that Israel risked becoming an “apartheid state.” Kerry subsequently apologized for the statement, which he made during a private meeting of the Trilateral Commission and was first reported by the Daily Beast.
The survey finds little change in views of Barack Obama’s handling of the Middle East conflict. A 45% plurality says Obama is striking about the right balance, while 22% say he favors the Palestinians too much and just 9% say he favors Israel too much, according to Pew Research Center.
Discussion about this post