More than half of Israelis would like to see Israel engage in negotiations with Syria, but are unprepared to withdraw from the Golan Heights as a price for peace, according to the results of a Market Watch poll released yesterday.

Fifty-seven percent of 499 respondents said they supported negotiations, while 54 percent said they could not agree to a Golan withdrawal. Fifty-nine percent said they feared another war would break out in the North unless talks were held.

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Some 70 percent of respondents agree with the charges that Israel cannot handle holding negotiations with both Syria and the Palestinians at the same time. Meanwhile, 58 percent said they would prefer Israel begin talks with Palestinians before moving on to the Syrian front.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has called on Israel numerous times to renew negotiations, but has simultaneously hinted that Syria would be willing to take military steps if talks did not succeed. Syria seeks the return of the Golan Heights, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967. But peace talks between the two countries broke down in 2000.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has rejected the Syrian president's invitations for negotiations. The official Israeli position is that Syria must cease support of Palestinian terror organizations and Hezbollah guerrillas before renewed negotiations can be considered.

The full result of the poll, which was conducted by Dr. Avinoam Brog, will be released on Sunday.