Mofaz supporters: Poll shows Israelis willing to talk with Hamas

A Haaretz poll showing 57 percent support for Kadima MK Shaul Mofaz's peace plan "proves the Israeli public is almost always a step ahead of its leadership," sources close to Mofaz said yesterday.

Mofaz's plan includes negotiations with Hamas and an interim Palestinian state on 60 percent of the West Bank in a year.

"The survey results speak for themselves, and here's proof for all to see the Israeli public isn't shocked or appalled by the idea of negotiating with Hamas," one Mofaz associate said. "This means you don't have the classical left-right divide on this question, and the rightists are pragmatic."

Sources close to Mofaz told Haaretz interest from foreign ambassadors had been so high that Mofaz is planning to hold an ambassadors' conference in December to present his plan. Earlier last week, Mofaz met with U.S., Russian and Turkish ambassadors, and is also scheduled to meet the Jordanian and Egyptian envoys.

The conference is likely to be held at the Academic College of Netanya, with a symposium following Mofaz's presentation, the sources added.

Mofaz intends to invite all Kadima MKs, a move that may be seen as embarrassing to party chairwoman Tzipi Livni, who opposes the plan and maintains strong support for the Annapolis initiative.

The Kadima MK and former defense minister is to travel to the United States on Tuesday to promote his plan. He plans to present the program at the United Nations, to discuss it with congressmen and to introduce it to a select forum of the Conference of Presidents.

Meanwhile, however, Mofaz is finding it difficult to discuss the plan within his own party, Kadima sources said. Last week Mofaz submitted a request to Kadima whip Dalia Itzik to schedule a discussion of the plan. Itzik has not yet confirmed the request, but said any such move would have to be authorized by Livni. Livni's associates said she was not opposed to discussing the program, and that everything will be done by appropriate procedure.

Although Mofaz has kept mum on who advised him on the program, Haaretz has learned one advisor was Gidi Grinstein, head of the Reut Institute who had served as secretary of the Ehud Barak's negotiating team opposite Yasser Arafat. Another adviser was Brig. Gen. (res.) Shlomo Brom, a senior researcher fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies.

The Haaretz survey also said 57 percent of Kadima voters would be happy to see the Labor party rebels join Kadima, but that Labor and Meretz voters would oppose the move. According to the survey, the Labor party, suffering from internal strife and under fire for the conduct of party chairman and defense minister Ehud Barak, would collapse to just six Knesset seats if general elections would be held today.

The question on a potential merger has been prompted by media reports on negotiations to this effect, allegedly held by Haim Ramon. The Labor rebel MKs, however, denied any such negotiations were taking place, and claimed Kadima and Meretz were behind the rumors.