Press Release

April 2014 Peace Index

Two-Thirds of Israeli Jews Agree with Israeli Gov’t Decision to Halt Negotiations Following Hamas Reconciliation Majority of Israeli Jews Disagree with US President Obama Blaming Both Sides for Lack of Progress in Talks

Two-Thirds of Israeli Jews Agree with Israeli Gov't Decision to Halt Negotiations Following Hamas Reconciliation

Majority of Israeli Jews Disagree with US President Obama Blaming Both Sides for Lack of Progress in Talks

The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) and Tel Aviv University are releasing the monthly Peace Index poll, which this month covers Israeli Jewish public opinion on the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation agreement, sentiment for Israel, pride in its achievements, desired government priorities, and more.

The Hamas-Fatah Reconciliation Agreement and Its Aftermath

  • Legitimacy of Hamas-Fatah Decisions: 58% of Israeli Jews do not agree that the reconciliation agreement means there will be increased legitimacy for decisions made by the Palestinian government, while 34% do believe that decisions will have more legitimacy.
  • Danger of Hamas-Fatah Reconciliation Agreement: 58% of Israeli Jews see the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation agreement as dangerous, while 31% do not see it as dangerous.
  • Israeli Decision to Stop Negotiations with Palestinians: 68% of Israeli Jews believe the Israeli government's decision to stop negotiations with the Palestinians following the reconciliation agreement with Hamas was appropriate, while 27% do not think the decision was appropriate.
  • US President Obama Blaming Both Sides Equally: 56% of Israeli Jews do not agree with President Obama assigning equal responsibility to Israeli and Palestinian leaders by saying neither side showed the political will to make difficult decisions to sustain negotiations.  39% of Israeli Jews agree with President Obama's assessment.


Public Sentiments and Views on Israel

  • Caring about the Country
    • Perception of Others: 66% of Israeli Jews believe that people used to care more about the country, 18% believe people care more about the country today, and 11% believe the amount of caring in the past and today is the same.
    • Personal Feelings: 38% of Israeli Jews personally care more about the country today, 34% personally care the same amount about the country today as in the past, and 27% previously personally cared more about the country.
  • Satisfaction with Israel's Achievements: 76% of Israeli Jews are satisfied with the country's achievements to date, while 23% are not satisfied.  When asked about specific issues, 82% are satisfied with military-security matters, 41% are satisfied with foreign relations matters, and 31% are satisfied with socio-economic matters.
  • Governmental Priorities: When asked to cite which of the following should be the most important goal for the government to promote today, 47% of Israeli Jews prioritize reducing socio-economic gaps, 21% cite the creation of affordable housing solutions, 10% choose strengthening Israel's military power, and 9% state improving Israel's political status in the international community as well as reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians.  
  • Optimism about the Future
    • Israel's Future: 73% of Israeli Jews are optimistic about Israel's future in the coming years, while 24% are pessimistic about the country's future.  Optimists include 77% of the self-identified right, 77% of the center, and 58% of the left.
    • Personal Future: 85% of Israeli Jews are optimistic about their own futures in the coming years, while 11% are pessimistic about their own futures.
  • Choosing to Live in Israel: If given the opportunity to move to a different country, 80% of Israeli Jews would continue to live in Israel, while 17% would move to a different country.  Those committed to staying include 93% of national-religious Israelis and 73% of secular Israelis.

This survey, conducted on April 28 - 29, 2014, included 600 respondents who constitute a representative sample of the adult population of Israel.  The maximum measurement error for a sample of this size is ±4.1%.

The full results of the Peace Index are available on the Peace Index website.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Peace Index Co-Director Prof. Tamar Hermann, contact:
Yehoshua Oz
Director of International Communications
press@idi.org.il