Lapid told UN majority of Israelis back 2-state solution, but poll signals otherwise
Survey says only 31% of Jewish Israelis think next gov’t should push for such a peace deal with the Palestinians, with nearly 60% opposed; support far higher among Arab Israelis
A new poll released Saturday found that a majority of Jewish Israelis are opposed to advancing a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, at least in the near-term.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Yair Lapid, speaking at the UN General Assembly said “a large majority of Israelis support the vision” of a two-state solution” and that he is one of them.
But the Israel Democracy Institute poll said that only 31 percent of Jewish Israelis think that a government formed after the November 1 elections should try to advance a two-state solution. This figure was down from 44 percent in February 2021.
According to the poll, 58% of Jewish Israelis opposed such a move, with another 11% undecided.
Among Arab Israelis, the support for a potential two-state solution was far higher, with 60% agreeing the next government should push for such a diplomatic outcome.
The IDI survey was conducted September 18-20 and included 753 respondents (605 Jews and others, and 149 Arabs). It had a margin of error of 3.59%.
“An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy and for the future of our children,” Lapid said Thursday.
“Despite all the obstacles, still today a large majority of Israelis support the vision of this two-state solution. I am one of them,” he said.
Lapid said Israel had only a single condition for Palestinian statehood: “That a future Palestinian state will be a peaceful one. That it will not become another terror base from which to threaten the well-being and the very existence of Israel. That we will have the ability to protect the security of all the citizens of Israel, at all times.”
Lapid’s call for a two-state solution in his speech drew condemnation from the right flank of his governing coalition, as well as from former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently the opposition leader and his chief rival in upcoming elections.
