Poll Shows Israelis Believe Right Will Remain in Power

A poll of how Israelis see their country 10 years from now indicates that the large majority believe that the right will remain in control, and that the chances for a settlement with the Palestinians is practically nil. The poll was taken by the Rotem-AR Institute in advance of the 15th annual Sderot Conference, set to open Monday.

A total of 63 percent of Israelis see the right, in one form or another, remaining in charge of the country a decade from now. Among Jews, 66 percent believed the right would remain in charge, while only 50 percent of Arabs agreed with them. About half of all Israelis believed that tensions between Arabs and Jews would increase, but nearly a quarter of Arabs – 23 percent – said that tensions would be reduced. Eighteen percent of Jews believed that as well. About 47 percent of Israelis, both Arabs and Jews, also believed that political corruption will grow 10 years from now.

Sixty percent of Israelis do not believe there will be an agreement with Palestinians a decade from now, with 63 percent of Jews agreeing that there would be no deal. Among Arabs the figure was 45 percent. About a third of all Israelis believe that peace treaties will be signed with additional Arab countries within the next decade, with Arabs – 45 percent – more optimistic than the 30 percent of Jews who agreed with that likelihood.

Fifty-three percent of all Israelis said that the country’s relationship with the United States would continue to improve over the next decade, while only 10 percent said that they felt it would deteriorate. Meanwhile, 39 percent said that relations with the European Union would improve, while 27 percent said they would get worse.