Friday, May 10, 2013

10-May-13: Peaceful co-existence: Israelis and Palestinian Arabs believe in it to about the same degree. Not.

Pew Research Center announced yesterday (Thursday) the findings of a poll that shows Israelis generally believe an independent Palestinian state can coexist peacefully with their country. Palestinian Arabs, by contrast, overwhelmingly say this is not possible. When asked about the best way to achieve statehood, a plurality of Palestinian Arabs prefer armed struggle over negotiations or nonviolent resistance.

Americans who favour the Israeli side outnumber those preferring the Palestinian side by 53% to 14%. In the United Kingdom, the proportions are almost the reverse: 19% for Israel, 35% for the Palestinian Arabs. (In the UK, the proportion who say they are undecided is a whopping 22%.) In France it's 40% for Israel and 44% for the Palestinian Arabs; in Germany it's 28% Israel versus 26% Palestinian Arabs. 

When it comes to groups who don't sympathize with either the Palestinian Arabs or the Israelis, the standouts are Germany (31% prefer neither) and Russia (42% prefer neither)



83% of Israelis have a favorable view of the U.S. Among Palestinian Arabs, a mere 16% think the same.

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