President Obama with PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas
President Obama with PA Chief Mahmoud AbbasIsrael News Photo: Flash 90

The Knesset television station released the results of a poll on Thursday revealing that 79 percent of Israelis believe that the possibility of the Jewish state reaching a peace agreement with the American-backed Palestinian Authority is next to zero. The poll, conducted by the Panels organization on behalf of the Knesset Channel, said that the vast majority of citizens polled were highly skeptical of an agreement. Only 1% of Israelis believed that there was a “good chance” that peace with the PA could be achieved.

A similar number, 76 percent, believe that the PA’s current Fatah leadership led by Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad is not even interested in achieving peace with Israel, while only 17% of Israelis believe it is.

The poll caused Israeli activists to raise questions regarding the government of Israel's continued attempts to take a diplomatic path that they claim has been proven clearly disastrous for the two decades since the signing of the Oslo Accords.

"Our leaders are clearly under pressure from foreign governments,” said veteran activist Benny Katz of the L’Herut Tzion (For the Freedom of Zion) organization. “During Netanyahu’s first couple months in office he refused to use terms like ‘Palestinian state’ or ‘two-state solution’ but after serious arm twisting from [United States President Barak] Obama and [US Middle East Envoy George] Mitchell, our prime minister began to cooperate with their Middle East agenda.

"The Americans and Europeans want Israel to surrender Judea and Samaria. That agenda keeps being promoted regardless of the reality on the ground. The problem is that while this poll showed that the vast majority of Israelis don’t trust the PA and don’t believe we’re achieving peace, they also don’t believe Israel can survive without American money or political support. If we can get Israel to start seeing itself as an independent country, we will be able to translate the sentiments that everyone is feeling today into practical policies that advance the Jewish national interest."