(National Review) Elliott Abrams - Relentless optimists have long argued that Israel and the Palestinians are an inch apart and peace can be attained if they would just get to the table. Wrong. A new poll by the Israel Democracy Institute and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research asked Palestinians and Israeli Jews if they support the division of Jerusalem, under which West Jerusalem would be Israel's capital and East Jerusalem would be the capital of a new Palestinian state. Just 30% of Palestinians supported such an arrangement and 32% of Israeli Jews. Majorities were opposed. Majorities on both sides also said sovereignty over the Temple Mount was critical to them: 55% of Israeli Jews said this was a deal-breaker, as did 57% of Palestinians. (In other words, a compromise wherein the Jews get the Western Wall and the Palestinians get the Temple Mount is opposed by majorities on both sides.) Israelis and Palestinians are deeply divided on all the major issues. A deal that would mark a final end to the conflict and an end to claims was supported by 64% of Israeli Jews but only 40% of Palestinians. Making the new Palestinian state entirely demilitarized gets the backing of 61% of Israeli Jews but only 20% of Palestinians. The writer, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, handled Middle East affairs at the U.S. National Security Council from 2001 to 2009.
2016-09-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive