POLL: Negotiation Or Separation, Not Perpetuation

The Marketwatch/Channel One poll found that 57% of respondents would support unilaterally separating from the West Bank and Gaza, along with evacuating settlements. On the other hand, Friday’s Gal Hehadash/Ma’ariv survey found somewhat less backing for the plan, with 43% supporting and 46% opposing a unilateral separation initiative that includes evacuating all of the Gaza settlements and isolated West Bank settlements, leaving the Palestinians with 65% of the West Bank and Israel with 35%, including the Jordan Valley and large settlement blocs. However, these Ma’ariv figures were within the poll’s 4.5% margin of error. The Ma’ariv survey also found that given a choice of three ways to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 43% of Israelis prefer negotiations, 33% want unilateral separation, and 11% like the existing situation.

  (Jerusalem Post, 12/25/02 & Ma’ariv, 12/27/02)