East Jerusalem. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – As the Jewish New Year 5779 approaches, half of the Jewish Israeli public supports an independent Palestinian state, while 43 percent do not.

In the monthly Peace Index of the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University, published on Wednesday, support for a Palestinian state increased with age: Some 35 percent of those aged 18-34 were in favor, as were 54 percent of those aged 35-54 and 61 percent among the oldest age group.

However, unlike 72 percent of Arab Israelis, 83 percent of Jewish Israelis said that “the Palestinians must recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people before peace talks with them can be revived.” This relates to 66 percent of Jewish Israelis who agree that “most of the Palestinians have not come to terms with Israel’s existence and would destroy it if they could.” More than 57 percent of Arab Israelis also agree with this statement.

Additionally, while most Israelis support negotiations with Hamas, 78 percent of Jewish Israelis believe that Israel should not abandon the return of IDF soldiers’ bodies held by the Hamas, even in exchange for a ceasefire in the south.

Compared to 73 percent of Arab Israelis, just 47 percent of Jewish Israelis support a two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

The survey was conducted on Aug. 28-29 and included 600 respondents, with a margin of error of 4.1 percent.