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Last update - 10:22 22/05/2008
Poll: More Israelis object to Golan accord than to Jerusalem deal
By Lily Galili
Tags: Golan Heights, Syria, Israel

About two-thirds of Israelis object to withdrawing from the Golan Heights even for peace with Syria - more than those who object to dividing Jerusalem for ending the conflict with the Arab world, a recent survey finds.

The poll was conducted by the Maagar Mochot research institute headed by Professor Yitzhak Katz for the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation. The survey, intended to assess Israel's sovereignty and independence in its 60th year, was initiated by Dr. Udi Lebel of Sapir and Ariel colleges.

The section referring to the state's borders shows two main tendencies. One is harsher positions - 68 percent of the people surveyed want to preserve the existing situation including keeping the West Bank and Golan. The other tendency is to prefer the Golan to any other region.
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Only 4 percent of the interviewees chose the option of "the Green Line borders with the West Bank but without the Golan" compared with 18 percent - 4.5 times more - who preferred "the Green Line borders with the Golan but without the West Bank."

About a third - 35 percent - said they were "moderately or highly likely" to take illegal action to prevent the Golan's evacuation. About half of them - 18 percent - said they were prepared to take illegal action to prevent the evacuation of a large settlement such as Ariel.

MK Yossi Beilin (Meretz) told Haaretz that in his experience such public opinion polls influence state leaders. "I have no doubt that the intention of such a poll is to signal: 'Don't touch the Golan,' as Ehud Barak was told at the time, and it scared him," Beilin said. "Does it affect a leader? It certainly does. Should it affect him? Certainly not."

Beilin says this position will change the moment Israel's prime minister explains to the public the full significance of such an agreement - such as the possibility 'to get into a car in Israel and drive to Paris,' and the agreement's implications on an agreement with Syria and on Israel's position vis-a-vis Hamas and Iran.

Beilin suggests that all peace negotiations be accompanied by a public information campaign. He said he would support Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and vote for every move he makes toward peace. "In these situations the prime minister doesn't need moral backing but a Knesset majority," he said.

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      1.   GIVE THE GOLAN FOR SUICIDE 06:17  |  Judith 22/05/08
      2.   Golan= Water 06:54  |  Bill 22/05/08
      3.   As a soldier 07:06  |  David 22/05/08
      4.   Remembering 1967 07:13  |  Steve 22/05/08
      5.   Don`t touch the Golan 07:30  |  David 22/05/08
      6.   Bill 07:43  |  wibism 22/05/08
      7.   golan 08:02  |  sam 22/05/08
      8.   misleading headline 08:35  |  brenda bronner 22/05/08
      9.   Winter sports 08:45  |  Gilad 22/05/08
      10.   Jerusalem is not the democratic capital of Israel 09:16  |  Citizen Joe 22/05/08
      11.   THANKS FOR THE LESSON IN FACISM... 09:23  |  DEMOCRAT 22/05/08
      12.   Giving Syria the STRATEGIC golan...ENSURES war!!!! 09:27  |  Ben Uziel 22/05/08
      13.   Note Belin`s and Left`s Contempt for Democracy 09:30  |  Ben Israel 22/05/08
      14.   More Israelis object to Golan accord than to J`lem deal 09:31  |  Natallie Durson 22/05/08
      15.   Better the Golan without peace than peace without the Golan. 09:43  |  Stephen in New York 22/05/08
      16.   "prime minister doesn`t need moral backig" 09:45  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 22/05/08
      17.   "to get into a car in Israel and drive to Paris" 09:50  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 22/05/08
      18.   how not to negotiate 09:54  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 22/05/08
      19.   There are 2 types of Jews 09:58  |  Harvey (Chaim) 22/05/08
      20.   if Syria wants peace, why is it shopping for arms? 10:02  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 22/05/08
      21.   why won`t Syria allow IAEA inspectors to inspect? 10:07  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 22/05/08
      22.   Hamas and Syria more moderate today than "mainstream" Israel ???? 10:12  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/05/08
      23.   # 3 Soldier David 10:16  |  Vinegar hill 22/05/08
      24.   Should public opinion affect a Prime Minister? 10:21  |  Joe 22/05/08
      25.   #4 STEVE - SOMETHING YOU DIDN`T REMEMBER... 10:24  |  PADDY 22/05/08
      26.   swiss (dino) 10:31  |  scallywag 22/05/08
      27.   yossi beilin "it should not effect leaders" 10:35  |  darcy 22/05/08
      28.   the golan is now israeli 10:37  |  darcy 22/05/08
      29.   The good news however.. 10:41  |  northern neighbor 22/05/08
      30.   yossi beilin explanations from olmert 10:49  |  darcy 22/05/08
      31.   What about the 1923 border? 10:53  |  Paul Henzen 22/05/08
      32.   If Israel wants peace, why spend billions a year on new weapons? 10:56  |  Natallie Durson 22/05/08
      33.   Only if the Price is Right 11:13  |  El-Birawi 22/05/08
      34.   #30, darcy 11:20  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 22/05/08
      35.   #32, Durson 11:26  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 22/05/08
      36.   Re Cipora #18 11:49  |  Esther 22/05/08
      37.   No 25 PADDY - You do realise what your saying 11:52  |  Jon 22/05/08
      38.   More Israelis object to Golan accord than to Jerusalem deal 12:00  |  Esther 22/05/08
      39.   #21 CJ Kohn 12:05  |  Boycott 22/05/08
      40.   democrat? #11 12:06  |  A.M. 22/05/08
      41.   Two types of jews 12:19  |  A.M. 22/05/08
      42.   Beilin`s Geography Lesson to Us Simpletons 12:28  |  Gil J. Yashar 22/05/08
      43.   PADDY the full story 13:05  |  George 22/05/08
      44.   more like..... 13:37  |  ravi 22/05/08
      45.   Hanging on to Golan will bring war 13:48  |  Keith T. 22/05/08
      46.   Cipora Julianna Kohn #20 If Syria wants peace 13:50  |  Keith 22/05/08
      47.   LillyGalilee I`d like to read the whole survey 13:54  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 22/05/08
      48.   Oh Natallie, it`s simple if you want peace prepare for war 13:57  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 22/05/08
      49.   Democratic decisions 14:01  |  Keith T. 22/05/08
      50.   ravi it is not permitted for us sikhs to abuse others 14:14  |  guru nanak 22/05/08
      51.   Never give back Golan 14:22  |  Jean-Paul 22/05/08
      52.   To #11 14:27  |  monostor 22/05/08
      53.   Paddy: Here is the full quote 14:34  |  Steve 22/05/08
      54.   #48 Oh Margie-could you tell Cipora #20 14:37  |  examiner 22/05/08
      55.   Deterrence Brings Peace Too Keith # 45 14:45  |  Gil J. Yashar 22/05/08
      56.   Jean-Paul #51 14:52  |  northern neighbor 22/05/08
      57.   Falklands is indeed relevant 14:59  |  Keith T. 22/05/08
      58.   Falklands is indeed relevant 15:02  |  Keith T. 22/05/08
      59.   Israel Should be Strong and Patient like Turkey 15:10  |  Gil J. Yashar 22/05/08
      60.   Northern Neibor 15:15  |  Jean Paul 22/05/08
      61.   Giving back? 15:25  |  Anne 22/05/08
      62.   keith 15:25  |  Jean-Paul 22/05/08
      63.   Too Blind To See. 16:04  |  Cool B 22/05/08
      64.   Swiss#22 16:07  |  Steve 22/05/08
      65.   Golan = Water - but at what price? 16:19  |  Heiko Wimmen 22/05/08
      66.   sheikh mohammed abu al qat thinks obama is the new gorbachev 16:21  |  darcy 22/05/08
      67.   It is all about material profit 16:29  |  kameel 22/05/08
      68.   Margie`s hypocracy... 16:36  |  Ibrahim 22/05/08
      69.   And they tell us Israelis want peace? 16:38  |  Ibrahim 22/05/08
      70.   says one thing.. LAND THIEVES FACIST 16:40  |  sam i am 22/05/08
      71.   THE GOLAN RESIDENTS ARE NEVER CONSIDERED 17:10  |  zionist forever 22/05/08
      72.   OK! Divide Jerusalem! DEAL! 17:34  |  AMERICAN SAM 22/05/08