Press Release

Monthly Peace Index

64% of Israeli Jews Believe Palestinians Will Not Be More Flexible with a Herzog/Livni Government

Majority of Jewish Israelis Back Equal Rights for Same-Sex Couples, Majority of Israeli Arabs Oppose

The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) and Tel Aviv University are releasing the monthly Peace Index poll, which this month surveys Israelis on US-Israel relations, the peace process after elections, and support for rights of same-sex couples.

US-Israel Relations

  • Susan Rice on Netanyahu’s Speech: 54% of Israeli Jews and 38% of Israeli Arabs believe only to a small extent, that US National Security Susan Rice’s statement that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to address the US Congress is “destructive” to US-Israel relations, is a bad sign regarding the state of relations. 37% of Israeli Jews and 19% of Israeli Arabs do believe to a great extent that Rice’s statement is a bad sign regarding the state of relations.
  • Responsibility for Deterioration of US-Israel Relations: 34% of Jewish Israelis believe that both sides are equally to blame for the deterioration in US-Israel relations, 32% believe the US administration headed by President Obama is more responsible, and 27% believe the Israeli government headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu is more responsible. 40% of Arab Israelis believe that both sides are equally to blame for the deterioration in US-Israel relations, 21% believe the Israeli government is more responsible, and 8% believe the US government is more responsible.

Peace Process Post-Election

  • The Effect of Which Party Forms Government on the Peace Process: 64% of Israeli Jews agree with the statement that no matter which party forms the next government the peace process with the Palestinians will not advance because there is no solution to the dispute, while 32% disagree with this statement. 32% of Israeli Arabs disagree with the statement that it does not matter which party forms the next government as the peace process cannot move forward, and 31% agree with the statement.
  • Palestinian Flexibility If Next Government Is Formed by Herzog & Livni: 64% of Israeli Jews and 35% of Israeli Arabs are sure or think the Palestinian leadership will not show greater flexibility and readiness for concessions if a government headed by Herzog and Livni is formed after elections. 30% of Israeli Jews and 22% of Israeli Arabs think or are sure that the Palestinian leadership will show greater flexibility and readiness for concessions if a government headed by Herzog and Livni is formed.
  • Friendliness of the US Administration Toward a Herzog-Livni Government: 49% of Jewish Israelis and 20% of Arab Israelis believe that the US administration will be friendlier toward a government headed by Herzog and Livni that one headed by Netanyahu. 33% of Jewish Israelis and 17% of Arab Israelis believe the US will be as friendly to a Herzog/Livni government as it would be to a Netanyahu government, 7% of Jewish Israelis and 14% of Arab Israelis believe the US will be less friendly to a Herzog/Livni government, and 3% of Jewish Israelis and 11% of Arab Israelis believe the friendliness of the US will depend on the policy of the Herzog/Livni government.

Legal Rights of Same-Sex Couples

  • 62% of the Jewish public supports same-sex couples having the same legal rights as those of other couples, while 29% opposes same-sex couples having the same legal rights. 77% of the Arab public opposes same-sex couples having the same legal rights as those of other couples, and 8% support same-sex couples having the same legal rights.

This survey, conducted on March 1 - 3, 2015, 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, contact:
Yehoshua Oz
Director of International Communications
press@idi.org.il