Less than a fifth of Israeli Jews now believe in a two-state solution

The share of Israeli Jews who believe that an Israeli state and a Palestinian state can coexist peacefully has fallen sharply since October 7, 2023according to a new survey, reports the media Forward, reference publication of the American Jewish intelligentsia.

Now, only 19% of Israeli Jews believe that a two-state solution would be viable, according to a poll published Thursday, May 30 by the Pew Research Center, compared to 32% according to a survey carried out just a few weeks before the start of the war. “This is the lowest rate since Pew began surveying Israelis in 2013.”

The Pew poll conducted eleven years ago revealed that “nearly half of Israeli Jews – and the majority of Israelis in general (including Israeli Arabs) – supported a two-state solution”.

The survey also shows wide gaps between Jews and Arabs. Among Israeli Arabs, for example, 74% say that “Israel’s military response against Hamas in Gaza has gone too far”. Only 4% of Israeli Jews agree.

Points of convergence with Israeli Arabs

But Israeli Arabs and Jews share some concerns about the war: 61% of both groups worry about the war spreading to other fronts (West Bank, Lebanon, etc.).

“And as Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s national security adviser, said he predicted the war would last until the end of 2024, the poll found that a significant majority of both groups (77% of Arabs, 66% of Jews) worry that the war has already lasted a long time.”

Finally, on the popularity of Netanyahuthe poll reveals that 41% of Israelis support their Prime Minister – who was recently targeted by an arrest warrant from the Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court (ICC) – the lowest rate in at least eleven years, underlines Forward.

“The other two leaders of his war cabinet, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz are faring better, with Gantz at 51% and Gallant at 61%.”