PalestineWest AsiaWorld News

64% of Israelis support occupation

On the eve of peace talks between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israelis, a poll shows two-thirds of Israelis support occupation in the West Bank.

Sixty-four percent of those questioned favored resumption of settlement construction in the occupied West Bank territories after a 10-month moratorium expires on September 26, according to the poll conducted by Gal Hadash Institute and aired on private Channel Ten TV station Wednesday.

The pollsters called for total or partial resumption in all the settlements, as some preferred resumption in larger blocks only rather than in smaller and isolated settlements.

Only 21 percent supported a continuation of the building freeze, with the remainder undecided.

The channel did not specify how many people were questioned in the poll or give the margin of error.

Despite international calls for a permanent freeze on illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday announced plans to resume the construction work within one month.

“It is impossible to take the issue of settlements in the West Bank, which is an issue for the permanent agreement, and deal with it separately at the beginning of the direct talks,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office quoted him telling Clinton.

The Palestinians have insisted this would torpedo the peace talks.

The PA has said that it will pull out of talks if Israel renews the construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Acting PA chief Mahmoud Abbas is facing mounting criticism from Palestinian groups who say he is yielding to “US and Israeli pressure.”

Palestinians have also raised concerns that further concessions on the part of Abbas could lead to an intensified violation of their rights by Israel.

The last round of direct peace talks between Palestinians and Israel broke off in December 2008 when Israel launched a deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1,400 Palestinians, most of them civilians.

Back to top button