Most Israelis are 'pessimistic' about peace with Palestinians

The latest survey shows that most Israelis are highly pessimistic about achieving peace with the Palestinians, considering it 'forever' out of reach. According to Israeli media reports on Sunday, October 2, this disappointing survey was conducted on the eve of the Jewish New Year and following the presence of Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, at the funeral of the recently deceased Israeli politician Shimon Peres. The Israeli news website 'Walla News' reported that the survey included over six hundred Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel. Sixty-four percent of Israelis stated in this survey that 'the Jewish and Arab nations will never reach peace.' Only 24 percent of respondents said that a peace agreement with the Palestinians might be signed in the future, but they considered this possibility to be likely in five years. Only four percent said that the signing of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement is certain, while eight percent did not provide an opinion. According to 'Walla News,' there is no difference in pessimism regarding the achievement of peace between Jews and Arabs residing in the 1948 borders. Mahmoud Abbas's presence at Peres's funeral on Friday, September 30, and his handshake with Benjamin Netanyahu and Reuven Rivlin, the President of Israel, sparked much discussion in Israeli media. The Israeli Prime Minister expressed 'deep appreciation' for President Abbas's attendance and invited him to his home for discussions, to which Abbas replied, 'I haven't been to your house in a long time.' Rivlin also welcomed the senior Palestinian delegation and repeatedly urged Abbas's aides, while Abbas himself listened, to arrange a meeting between Abbas and the Israeli Prime Minister to hope for the resumption of peace talks. Israeli peace-supporting analysts have encouraged the right-wing Prime Minister in media discussions to take advantage of this opportunity and resume the stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks, criticizing Netanyahu for not mentioning Abbas's presence in his eulogy for Peres. However, Barack Obama mentioned Abbas's presence at Peres's funeral in his speech, calling it significant. Meanwhile, Abbas, who has faced criticism from a faction of Fatah and Hamas for attending Peres's funeral in Jerusalem, has defended his decision. According to Palestinian media, Mahmoud Abbas stated in a speech in Bethlehem on Saturday, October 1, 'Our hand for peace is still extended.' Fatah officials supporting Abbas's decision told Israeli radio that Abbas's attendance at Peres's funeral was his own decision and that he was 'not under pressure from global leaders' requests. These Fatah officials added that Abbas was aware that attending the funeral of someone who was a founding figure of Israel would attract criticism from some segments of Palestinian public opinion, but he pursued several goals in the interest of Palestinians through this act. These officials, who wished to remain unnamed, told Israeli radio that Abbas demonstrated to dozens of world leaders present at the ceremony and to Israeli public opinion that it is Netanyahu who is avoiding the renewal of peace talks. 'Jews are more willing than Arabs to leave Israel.' In the meantime, a survey conducted on the eve of the Jewish New Year revealed that 23 percent have considered leaving Israel to live in another country. According to this survey, the percentage of Jews considering permanent departure from Israel is higher than that of Arab Palestinians living within the 1948 borders. Only 13 percent of Palestinian citizens of Israel said they had considered permanent living in another country. Israeli media reported that statistics published by the Ministry of Interior on the eve of the Jewish New Year indicate that Israel's population has reached eight million five hundred thousand, of which 75 percent are Jewish, 21 percent Arab, and four percent belong to other sects and ethnicities. Meanwhile, Haaretz also noted on Sunday, October 2, in an article that Israel, with a secular population of 65 percent, is among the ten countries where the majority of the population is non-religious.