The Judea and Samaria community of Shvut Rachel. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – A new poll shows significant decline in the Israeli-Jewish population’s support for withdrawal from Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) as part of any future peace deal.

The survey, commissioned by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) and conducted by pollster Mina Tzemach, found that 36 percent of respondents support Jewish withdrawal from the Biblical heartland, down from 60% in 2005, with 76% preferring that Israel retain full security control of Judea and Samaria and 81% saying Israel should maintain full sovereignty over the Jordan Valley.

The poll also revealed that 79% of Israelis believe it’s important to maintain a unified Jerusalem under full Israeli sovereignty, with 83% saying they oppose transfer of Temple Mount control to the Palestinians and 71% stating that any peace agreement must be based upon Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s former director-general, Dore Gold, who currently heads the JCPA, said the survey shows how “the Israeli public implicitly understands that the Middle East remains a very dangerous and chaotic region and is not about to stabilize in the near future.”