Only 35% of Israelis believe “a way can be found for Israel and an independent Palestinian state to coexist peacefully,” according to a Pew survey that was conducted in March and April. The results represent a 9% decline since 2017 and 15% since 2013 (Israelis have grown more skeptical of a two-state solution).
Arab Israelis are 33% less likely than they were in 2013 to expect a peaceful coexistence between Israel and an independent Palestinian state, while Jewish Israelis are 14% less likely than in 2013 to expect the 2-state solution.
The face-to-face survey was conducted via Gallup from March 15 to April 24, 2023, with a sample size of 1,001 respondents and a 4.2 margin of error.
Among Israeli Jews, the group that has expressed the lowest confidence in the 2-state solution according to Pew are the traditional, religious, and Haredim. The percentage of Masorti Jews who believe in 2-state has fallen from 33% in 2017 to 17% in 2023. Among religious and Haredi Jews, it has dropped from 22% to 7%.
Meanwhile, Israeli secular Jews today express greater optimism about the prospects for a two-state solution than they did in the past – 61% in 2023 vs. 54% in 2017.
The difference in the levels of hope for a 2-state solution is clearly drawn along party lines. Israelis who don’t support the Netanyahu government are much more likely to believe in 2-state (54%) than those who support it (10%).
A similar divide exists along ideological lines: 73% of Israelis on the left believe in 2-state, as do 53% of the centrists, compared with only 14% of right-wingers.
The survey excluded Arabs living in the PA, Gaza, and eastern Jerusalem.
