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Arab Polls Support Push for Compromise Israeli-Palestinian Peace Agreement
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) David Pollock and Catherine Cleveland - Polls reveal a high level of Arab popular approval for both tough U.S. talk and action against Tehran, and enlisting Arab state support for an Israeli-Palestinian compromise agreement. The polls, commissioned by the Washington Institute, were conducted in late 2018 in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt. Most Arab respondents were interested in Arab states playing a larger role in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict - including by "providing incentives for both sides to moderate their positions." At the same time, a plurality of Emiratis, Kuwaitis, Jordanians, and Egyptians strongly disagree with efforts to cooperate with Israel now, before peace with the Palestinians, despite some quiet existing cooperation with several of these countries. Iran's regional allies are extremely unpopular. In a remarkable turnaround from the years before Syria's civil war, Sunni support for Lebanon's Hizbullah is now in the low single digits - except inside Lebanon where it barely hits 10%. However, Shiite support for Hizbullah is quite high. The writers are Fellows at The Washington Institute.