Israelis No Longer Support Two-State Solution in the Wake of October 7 Massacre, New Poll Shows

A majority of Israeli voters oppose the creation of a two-state solution, with many of them turning sour on the political project after Hamas’s attack on October 7, a new public opinion poll shows. The survey, administered by the Council for a Secure America, shows that 44 percent of respondents became more opposed to a two-state solution following October 7 while a meager 8 percent became more in favor of a two-state solution. That brings overall support for a two-state solution to just 20 percent of voting Israelis. Nearly the same percentage reported that they “don’t know” what they believe, while 65 percent oppose a side-by-side Palestinian state. The new poll shows that public opinion from a little over a decade ago has been flipped on its head. Back in 2012, 61 percent of Israelis voiced their support for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, while only 30 percent were opposed. Further, the possibility of eradicating Hamas does little to improve support for the two-state solution — the hypothetical situation only pushes approval by 6 percent. However, a majority of Israelis see Iran as the “real culprit” in orchestrating the attacks against Israel by Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Only 31 percent agree that the terror groups receive support from Iran but ultimately independently choose to attack Israel. “The October 7th massacre and the war against Hamas have had significant impacts on the lives of everyday Israelis,” the executive director of the Council for a Secure America, Jennifer Sutton, said. “While October 7th has moved Israelis strongly away from a Two State Solution, they remain optimistic about their relations in the broader Middle East.” The desire to maintain diplomatic relations with fellow countries in the Middle East is shown in the 77 percent of Israelis pitching their support for the Abraham Accords — a multilateral agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.Israelis also overwhelmingly value the country’s relationship with America, with nearly 3 out of 4 Israelis agreeing that “the support of the United States for the State of Israel is critical for Israel’s future.”Broken down by religious views, secular Israelis are more likely to view America’s support of Israel as critical for the country’s future. The minority group which views American support as not critical is largely driven by men. The report comes alongside the release of data affirming that a majority of Palestinians view Hamas as being the most deserving party to lead the Palestinian people. The data, collected by Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, shows that if an election was called, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would win against Palestinian Authority President Abbas by a landslide.Further, the survey shows that violence is still viewed by Palestinians as the most effective means of resistance against Israel — 54 percent report backing “armed struggle” while only 25 percent support negotiations. Hamas — which has been labeled by the American government as a terrorist organization — has long opposed the existence of a Jewish state in Israel. “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it,” is written in the preamble to Hamas’s founding charter. Back in May, a senior member of Hamas reported that they would be willing to agree to a truce of five years or more with Israel should an independent Palestinian state be established along pre-1967 borders. However, in a separate statement released by London-based Arabic paper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the same Hamas member suggested that his stance would only be temporary and that Palestinians maintain “historic right to all Palestinian lands.”

Israelis No Longer Support Two-State Solution in the Wake of October 7 Massacre, New Poll Shows

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