Poll shows 46 percent of Israeli Jews favor transfer of Palestinians by Amnon Barzilai in Ha'aretz 8:11am Tue Mar 12 '02 Some 46 percent of Israel's Jewish citizens favor transferring Palestinians out of the territories, while 31 percent favor transferring Israeli Arabs out of the country, according to the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies' annual national security public opinion poll. print article More Israeli Jews favor transfer of Palestinians, Israeli Arabs - poll finds By Amnon Barzilai Tuesday, March 12, 08:05 (GMT+2) Some 46 percent of Israel's Jewish citizens favor transferring Palestinians out of the territories, while 31 percent favor transferring Israeli Arabs out of the country, according to the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies' annual national security public opinion poll. In 1991, 38 percent of Israel's Jewish population was in favor of transferring the Palestinians out of the territories while 24 percent supported transferring Israeli Arabs. When the question of transfer was posed in a more roundabout way, 60 percent of respondents said that they were in favor of encouraging Israeli Arabs to leave the country. The results of the survey also reveal that 24 percent of Israel's Jewish citizens believe that Israeli Arabs are not loyal to the state, compared to 38 percent who think the Arabs were loyal to the state at the beginning of the intifada. The poll, overseen by Prof. Asher Arian, also finds that Jewish public opinion is Israel has become more extreme on issues of foreign affairs and defense as well as on possible concessions by Israel during peace talks in particular. A representative sample of 1,264 Jewish residents of Israel were polled for the survey last month in face-to-face interviews. Israeli-Arabs pose a threat to Israel's security, according to 61 percent of the Jewish population, while around 80 percent are opposed to Israeli-Arabs being involved in important decisions, such as delineating the country's borders, up from 75 percent last year and 67 percent in 2000. Some 72 percent of Jewish Israelis are opposed to Arab parties being part of a coalition government, compared to 67 percent last year and 50 percent in 1999. This overall shift to the right has been coupled by a significant fall in support for the Oslo process; down from 58 percent last year, to 35 percent this year. Support for the establishment of a Palestinian state has also dropped from 57 percent last year to 49 percent this year. Only 40 percent of Jewish Israelis support transfering control of Arab areas of East Jerusalem to the Palestinians as part of a peace agreement, compared with 51 percent last year. There has also been a fall in the number of people willing to leave the settlements as part of an agreement with the Palestinians: 49 percent are in favor of Israel leaving the settlements, apart from large blocs, under a permanent status agreement, compared to 55 percent last year. Around 41 percent of those polled said that the acts of Palestinian violence have made them less open to compromise, while just 10 percent said that the on-going violence has had the opposite effect. www.haaretz.co.il add your comments

Pretty words by Grrt 2:03pm Tue Mar 12 '02 print comment Isn't it nice how they allways find such pretty words for nasty deeds. 'Transferring' is even prettier than 'ethnic cleansing' but they both mean the same thing: loading people into trucks or buses (for some reason trains are out of fashion) and dumping them across the border while raping all the women (and children if that's your thing) and killing all the men who have the nerve to resist. The Bosnian Serbs got away with it and everybody hated them, so why shouldn't those cuddly Israeli's succeed in it for the second time. add your comments

What's good for the goose... by Azra Laween 12:15am Wed Mar 13 '02 print comment It is interesting that this solution is finally being examined. I also find it interesting that the proposed transfer of 200,000 Jewish citizens from their homes the West Bank and Gaza did not upset anyone - as it was in fact part of the Oslo Accords. Transfer is wrong. Unless a population is a fifth column who seeks the destruction of the state and resorts to terrorism. add your comments

..is good for the gander by amazing 5:26am Fri Mar 15 '02 print comment "Around 41 percent of those polled said that the acts of Palestinian violence have made them less open to compromise, while just 10 percent said that the on-going violence has had the opposite effect." Could it be, that 40 years of occupation and the much greater level of Israeli violence has had a similar effect on the Palestinians? Gives one pause to reconsider the strategy of "beating them down" until the Palestinians "know their place". But yes, transfers _are_ wrong. But suppose that the IDF were to withdraw from the occupied territories, and the settlers were forced to relinquish control of the west bank's water, preferential treatement, the ability to launch pogroms against the local population, etc. Suppose they had to submit to Palestinian rule, in which any political party advocating for equal treatement of the settlers and the native population was outlawed, and suppose they could be killed without inquiry or punishment. In that case, they might not want to stay. Then, they might also be accused of being a "fifth column" and "terrorists". add your comments

Don't be so hasty by Sarah 6:43am Fri Mar 15 '02 print comment Something seems wrong about judging the Israeli Jeish population based on 1,264 people. add your comments