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Jews praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem last month. (Pierre Terdjman / BauBau)
Last update - 08:08 13/05/2007
Poll: 96% of Israeli Jews won't give up Western Wall for peace
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent

Ninety-six percent of Israeli Jews are against Israel relinquishing the Western Wall, even in exchange for lasting peace and ending the dispute over Jerusalem, a new poll suggests. According to the poll, most Israeli Jews do not believe territorial concessions in Jerusalem would bring peace.

The poll, performed at the request of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, also reveals that 89 percent of Israeli Jews are unwilling to give up the Temple Mount for a similar arrangement.

The poll, which was performed by the Tazpit Research Institute headed by Dr. Aharon Fein, found that Israeli Jews were far more willing to give up the Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, as long as Israel keeps the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter - an arrangement favored by 43 percent of them.

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Forty-three percent of participants said they were opposed to any form of concession in Jerusalem for real peace and the termination of the dispute. In the previous survey on the matter, only 37 percent of the participants were opposed to all forms of territorial concession in Jerusalem.

Religious and ultra-Orthodox participants expressed less willingness for concessions than their secular and traditional counterparts. For example, the survey showed that 76 percent of the religious participants were opposed to territorial concessions, as opposed to 24 percent of secular responders.

Despite the relatively high willingness among participants to give up the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, most participants nonetheless indicated they did not believe such concessions would bring peace. In total, 75.7 percent believe peace is unattainable. Only 20.3 said they believed peace could be reached in return for territorial concessions in Jerusalem.

In addition, 91.5 percent indicated they believed that maintaining a large Jewish majority in Jerusalem was imperative. Some 81.3 percent said they believed that a mostly-Jewish Jerusalem would complement Israel's moral fortitude. Another 62.4 percent said they believed that Jewish settlement in Ma'aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion serve to strengthen Jerusalem.

Sixty-six percent said the same about settlement west of the city. Some 61.3 percent expressed support for prioritizing Jerusalem so as to strengthen its status and standing.

According to the survey, the majority of Israelis regard Jerusalem as the most beautiful city in Israel. Some 81.4 of the Jerusalemites who participated said they perceived it as such, along with 67.5 of non-Jerusalemites. Despite this, 51.8 percent of Jerusalemites define the city as dirty, opposed to only 30 percent of non-Jerusalemites.

Some 47.3 percent of the Jerusalemites who participated in the poll defined the city as impoverished. Another 54 percent said they believed Jerusalem was gradually becoming more ultra-Orthodox. However, despite their critical approach of their city, only 5.3 of Jerusalemites said they considered it dangerous to visit.

By contrast, non-Jerusalemites appear to be more wary of visiting the city, with 14.5 percent indicating it as a dangerous place to visit.

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  1.   Land for peace didn`t work 05:19  |  Cristian 13/05/07
  2.   There will never be peace 05:43  |  Man 13/05/07
  3.   I Am Convinced That There Will Never Be Peace 07:28  |  Eli 13/05/07
  4.   Jesus said Israel will be destroyed 07:28  |  Christian 13/05/07
  5.   the definition of peace 07:29  |  he 13/05/07
  6.   the definition of peace 07:30  |  hedi enghelberg 13/05/07
  7.   Well, that right there 07:34  |  The Judge 13/05/07
  8.   Jerusalem. 07:49  |  mike davis 13/05/07
  9.   Why not share it? 08:24  |  Arab Cocktail 13/05/07
  10.   Forget the "peace process". Israel needs a victory process. 08:42  |  Chaim 13/05/07
  11.   99.9% of human beings aren`t Jews 08:51  |  keith 13/05/07
  12.   More concessions bring more demands, more terror 08:52  |  Raymond from DC 13/05/07
  13.   Jerusalem to # 7 judge Cal. 09:29  |  charles 13/05/07
  14.   total victory? #9 09:37  |  A.M. 13/05/07
  15.   Who asked for the wall ? 09:51  |  Adel 13/05/07
  16.   To #11: 99.9% of human beings aren`t Israelis either... 10:01  |  Manu 13/05/07
  17.   Withdrawal but no peace? 10:02  |  curious 13/05/07
  18.   arab cocktail, no. 9 10:02  |  saul a. readner 13/05/07
  19.   JUDGE.Right there shows what? How many square meters are we 10:04  |  PETER SM 13/05/07
  20.   the question is not - 10:08  |  saul a. readner 13/05/07
  21.   99% of Israeli Arabs want no Jewish state 10:11  |  Petteri 13/05/07
  22.   7. The Fake Judge. Maybe you have a conflict of interest... 10:20  |  Logician 13/05/07
  23.   The question about special status was not asked 10:20  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 13/05/07
  24.   Thiefs 10:20  |  Dav 13/05/07
  25.   96%; THREE THINGS 10:24  |  indrajaya 13/05/07
  26.   Pals and Zionists 10:25  |  Dav 13/05/07
  27.   Nonsensical survey 10:28  |  Andreas 13/05/07
  28.   #9, Arab cocktail 10:28  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 13/05/07
  29.   The conflict is not about land. Israel has no right to exist 10:29  |  e.m 13/05/07
  30.   Biblical prophecies 10:31  |  sg 13/05/07
  31.   Why give it up...?? 10:33  |  Swiss (Dino) 13/05/07
  32.   #11, keith 10:36  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 13/05/07
  33.   Temple Mount not the site of Herod`s Temple 10:37  |  Ivar 13/05/07
  34.   The majority of Pals want Hamas knowing their charter- 10:43  |  PETER SM 13/05/07
  35.   War and Peace 10:44  |  Christina 13/05/07
  36.   23Dav There were more Jewish Refugees from Arab countries. 10:46  |  Logician 13/05/07
  37.   To A.M. #14 10:50  |  Rolandus 13/05/07
  38.   Land for REAL Peace 10:57  |  Prof David Friedman 13/05/07
  39.   keith 75% of the world are not Moslems. 10:57  |  PETER SM 13/05/07
  40.   #9 & #17: Judeo-Islamic Holy Sites .. 11:02  |  An Indian 13/05/07
  41.   57% J`lemites FAVOR concessions 11:11  |  B`Galil 13/05/07
  42.   the judge, no. 7 11:42  |  saul a. readner 13/05/07
  43.   Would Muslims give up Mecca for peace? 12:02  |  D 13/05/07
  44.   Jerusalem - Alquds 12:12  |  imad 13/05/07
  45.   Ok keep the westerwall and Jewish quarter 12:32  |  Haitham 13/05/07
  46.   #29, Dino 12:46  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 13/05/07
  47.   #30, Dino 13:14  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 13/05/07
  48.   ask Moslems to give up Mecca for peace 13:16  |  Stan 13/05/07
  49.   Now here`s a great idea ... 13:19  |  Two To Tango 13/05/07
  50.   All I can say is that time is running out for Israel 13:30  |  steve 13/05/07
  51.   #37 Ivor 13:38  |  Christine Lukas 13/05/07
  52.   * 4 CHRISTIAN . 13:55  |  Bill. 13/05/07
  53.   olmert doesnt care what any of us think 13:57  |  virginia orrall 13/05/07
  54.   G-D`S WORD CONFIRMS JERUSALEM UNDIVIDED CAPITAL OF ISRAEL ?? 14:09  |  Bill. 13/05/07
  55.   #8 Mike Davis LOL 14:18  |  Ben Alofs 13/05/07
  56.   The Arab Neighborhoods 14:24  |  Ronnie Wolman 13/05/07
  57.   Temple Mount 14:43  |  Jacques 13/05/07
  58.   Western Wall 14:43  |  Ralph 13/05/07
  59.   Don`t Worry Israel`s Not Going To Give It Up 14:54  |  Yosemite 13/05/07
  60.   I am for Peace but a word about Onus 15:03  |  Ronnie Wolman 13/05/07
  61.   Wall for What? 15:07  |  asam 13/05/07
  62.   To Imad #44...blah blah blah 15:13  |  SLAVO 13/05/07
  63.   The people of Israel draws the Map of Peace. 15:13  |  Akram Zekaria 13/05/07
  64.   Practical solutions 15:19  |  Ben Alofs 13/05/07
  65.   THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS 15:20  |  canadian observer 13/05/07
  66.   #7 THE JUDGE 15:23  |  canadian observer 13/05/07
  67.   "I`m pretty confident that we`re the light" says the occupier 15:25  |  Jonathan 13/05/07
  68.   #50 STEVE 15:28  |  canadian observer 13/05/07
  69.   it should be 100% 15:30  |  Issy Hass 13/05/07
  70.   67 JONATHAN 15:33  |  canadian observer 13/05/07
  71.   Israelis should remember: Israel is Jewish home, Hebrew is Jewish 15:37  |  Vitorio 13/05/07
  72.   #11 keith "99.9% of human beings aren`t Jews" 15:44  |  Vittorio 13/05/07
  73.   56# Ronnie Wolman. Show you what ? 15:46  |  Akram Zekaria 13/05/07
  74.   What Price Peace? 15:50  |  Joel in Albany 13/05/07
  75.   When the Jews were driven out 15:51  |  Yonatan 13/05/07
  76.   Time for you to make hard sacrifices for peace. 15:54  |  Ali Baba 13/05/07
  77.   #51 has Temple locations confused 16:02  |  Ivar 13/05/07
  78.   Akram Zekaria:Building and Blowing up bridges 16:09  |  Ronnie Wolman 13/05/07
  79.   #57, thanks, but Procopius` Western Wall stands! 16:13  |  Ivar 13/05/07
  80.   Hey Yonatan! #75. My great-grandfather`s grave went too! 16:15  |  Pamela Levene 13/05/07
  81.   #6 hedi enghelberg 16:20  |  Boycott 13/05/07
  82.   I don`t think they should 16:27  |  Mark Lincoln 13/05/07
  83.   The US talking to Iran/Syria 16:27  |  Joe Smith 13/05/07
  84.   asam #61 16:29  |  Axel 13/05/07
  85.   ben caspit on livni 16:31  |