Poll: Annexation Divides Israelis

Israelis continue to be divided on government policies in Yehudah and Shomron, in particular the proposal to annex parts of it, according to newly released poll findings, The Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday.

According to the Israel Democracy Institute’s Monthly Peace Index poll, 51 percent of Jewish Israelis said that a unilateral annexation of Yehudah and Shomron would be a “disaster,” as Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud) predicted recently.

Another 31 percent said they disagreed with Hanegbi’s comment, while 18 percent said they did not know.

Support for continued building of Jewish homes in the region was higher. Sixty-two percent believe that Israel should not cease construction of housing in Yehudah and Shomron following U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334 condemning it, compared to just 29 percent who said it should.

The poll, which was conducted on January 2 and 3, questioned 600 people aged 18 and over with a margin of error of 4.1 percent.

On related issues, 45 percent said they believe that U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to abstain on the U.N. resolution was due to the poor relations between himself and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, versus 33 percent who said the decision reflected Obama’s principled position.

The polling data confirmed reports that Israelis anticipate a friendlier attitude from Washington after the inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump.

Sixty-nine percent of Jewish Israelis said they believe Trump’s attitude toward Israel would be either moderately or very friendly, 12 percent said he would be neutral and just 3 percent said he would be unfriendly.

Regarding the promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Yerushalayim, 50 percent said they believed he would do so.

More than 70 percent of respondents said they believe Israel would be able to keep building in Yehudah and Shomron during Trump’s administration.