Jerusalem
Photo: Ron Peled
More than half of Jews willing to divide Jerusalem
Poll for 40-year anniversary of capital's unification shows 58 of Israeli Jews willing to make concessions in Jerusalem in exchange for peace with Palestinians
Fifty-eight percent of the Jewish public in Israel is willing to make concessions in Jerusalem in the frame of a peace agreement with the Palestinians, a poll conducted by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies revealed on Sunday.
Capital
Lilach Shoval
Growth rate of Arab population in city in past 40 years is double that of Jewish population, data published by Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies reveals. In 2020, Arabs expected to constitute 40 percent of capital's residents
The poll, conducted toward the 40-year anniversary of the capital's unification, showed a 5 percent drop compared to 2006.
A drop in the Israeli Jews' faith that real peace could be reached was also revealed in the poll. Only 16 percent of the public believes that peace with the Palestinians can be reached, as opposed to 20 percent in 2006.
The shift in opinion was noted among the secular public, where 21 percent said they believed peace could be reached as opposed to 31 percent last year.
Some 92 percent of the respondents said they felt it was important to have a significant Jewish majority in the capital, and 81 percent said agreed that Jerusalem, with a Jewish majority, contributed to Israel's national strength.
Sixty-two percent of Israeli Jews said they felt that Jerusalem has been becoming strictly Orthodox over the past few years, while 24 percent of Israeli Jews feel that Jerusalem is a frightening city to live in.
Ten percent of the respondents said that there was no place to hang out in the city, while 68 percent agreed that Jerusalem was the most beautiful city in the Israel.
Forty-eight percent of the respondents agreed to the statement that Jerusalem is a poor city.
The poll, which was conducted among 500 adults comprised of a representative sample of the Jewish population in the Israel, is conducted annually and examines Jerusalem's image and importance as a component in Israel's national strength.
Another poll, taken by the Zionist Council in Israel, showed that 64 percent of Israel's residents that do not live in the capital have visited the city at least once in the past year.
