More than half of Israelis polled oppose a peace agreement tying the creation of a “Palestinian” state to normalized relations with Saudi Arabia according to a survey released on Tuesday.
The results were part of The Israeli Voice Index, a monthly survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem-based research center.
Israelis were asked, “Do you support or oppose the notion that as part of a deal to end the war—which will include long-term military quiet, guarantees from the United States, and an agreement with Arab states such as Saudi Arabia—Israel should agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state?”
Overall, 51% said they opposed such a deal while 36% supported it.
A breakdown by nationality found that 59% of Israeli Jews opposed the proposal while 29% favored it. Among Arab respondents, 69% supported the proposal while 10% opposed it.
But a breakdown by political affiliation revealed a sharp divide. “While a very large majority on the Left support the proposal (78%), an almost identical majority on the Right are opposed (79.5%), and in the Center the supporters and opponents are evenly balanced,” the report said.
The study surveyed 619 Jewish and 153 Arab Israelis aged 18 and over on Jan. 28-30, and had a margin of error of 3.59%.
The Tazpit Press Service reported in mid-January that efforts to normalize Israeli-Saudi relations remain knotted by the war in Gaza. Saudi leaders say the war must end before normalization talks can continue. But Israel wants clarity on what a Saudi role in post-war Gaza would look like before the conflict ends.
The survey also found that 51% of the respondents said Israel’s war priority should be bringing the hostages home, while 36% said the primary goal should be removing Hamas from power. The remaining respondents said they did not know.
