JPPI poll: 80% of Israelis don't foresee peace with Palestinians in foreseeable future

A new poll published by the JPPI today (Tuesday) shows most Israelis do not believe there will be peace with the Palestinians in the foreseeable future. A majority also think settlements contribute to Israeli security, and that the hostage deal should be completed without restarting the war.

No fewer than 85% of Jews agree with the statement that "there is no chance for peace with the Palestinians in the foreseeable future," including 70% which "strongly agree." Among Arabs, 19% strongly agree with this statement, and another 19% "somewhat agree" with it – so about 40% agree among Arabs as well.

Among Jews, only 8% disagree with this statement, and among Arabs 31% (the rest "neither agree nor disagree" or "don't know"). Compared to last year, there has been an increase in the percentage of Jews who "strongly agree" with the statement that "there is no chance for peace in the foreseeable future." According to voting patterns, 44% of those belonging to the "left" group agree (somewhat agree + strongly agree) with the statement "there is no chance for a peace agreement with the Palestinians in the foreseeable future." Among the other groups, a clear majority agrees with this statement.

In the last six months, there has been an increase in the percentage of Jews in Israel who believe that "Israel should strengthen its control over the Palestinians, expand settlements, consider dismantling the Palestinian Authority, and possibly annex Judea and Samaria."

While in October 2024, a third (34%) of Jews in Israel indicated this statement was close to their view, today almost half of them (47%) say so. At the same time, there has been a decrease in the percentage of Jews who indicate that the statement "Israel should try to reach a peace agreement with moderate Palestinians, and allow the establishment of a Palestinian state that will live in peace alongside the State of Israel" is close to their view.

While in October 2024, one-fifth (19%) of Jews in Israel responded this way, this month only one-tenth (11%) answered this way. Among Arabs in Israel, there has been no change on this question in the last six months. The vast majority (63%) believe Israel should try to reach a peace agreement and allow the establishment of a Palestinian state.

One-fifth of Arabs (19%) believe Israel should strive for complete separation from the Palestinians, dismantle settlements not in the major blocs, and focus on maintaining the IDF's freedom of operation to prevent the growth of terrorist organizations in the territories. Almost one-tenth (9%) of Arabs in Israel believe Israel should expand its control over the Palestinians.

Most Jews in Israel (58%) agree with the statement "Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria create deterrence and contribute to the security of all Israeli citizens." Similarly, a majority (56%) of Jews in Israel disagree with the statement "Settlements in the territories are a burden on the IDF and harm the security of all Israeli citizens." About a third of Jews in Israel (35%) agree with this statement, meaning they think settlements are a burden. As expected, examining the positions of Arabs strengthens the "burden" camp compared to the "asset" camp. 63% of Arabs disagree that settlements are an asset, and an identical percentage agree that they are a "burden."

The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) survey found that a majority of the public in Israel (69%), Jews and Arabs, still supports completing the hostage deal in full, and postponing the decision regarding the fate of Hamas's rule in Gaza until after it. One-fifth of the public (20%), and about a quarter of Jews, prefer to stop the hostage deal in order to return to fighting in Gaza to overthrow Hamas rule. Compared to the Institute's previous survey (in February), there was a very slight increase in the percentage of those supporting progress in the hostage deal – among the Jewish population there was a 3% increase and among the Arab population a 5% increase.

When examining positions according to voting and support for different parties, it is evident that among supporters of Religious Zionism there is a clear tendency to support a return to fighting. 76% of Religious Zionism supporters (those who say they would vote for these parties today) support returning to war. Among current Likud supporters, there is a small majority supporting continuation of the deal (43% versus 33%). Among opposition party supporters, the preference for continuing the deal is clear and sweeping – 90% of Mamlachti Camp supporters, 100% of Yesh Atid supporters, 82% of Israel Beiteinu supporters, 100% of Democrats supporters.

Last month, Trump raised his proposal that Arabs living in the Gaza Strip move to live in another country. Most Israelis (62%) still support this proposal, but the rate of supporters has decreased significantly compared to the previous month. In particular, there has been a significant decrease in the percentage who believe this is a "practical" plan: from 43% last month to 32% this month. An identical percentage (32%) support the plan but do not believe it is practical.

One-fifth of Israelis (20%) say the plan is a distraction, and we should talk about realistic solutions, while one-eighth (13% of all Israelis, but only 3% among Jews) believe it is an immoral proposal. As in the previous month, a large majority of Arabs in Israel believe Trump's proposal is immoral or a distraction.