Poll in Israel says Israelis dead against any more unilateral withdrawal.

 
The Israeli newspaper Maariv has publicized a poll of the Israeli public on any future unilateral withdrawal from any settlements in Judea and Samaria. This poll comes a full two years after Israel unilaterally pulled out of the Gaza Strip while forcibly expelling thousands of Israeli Settlers from there homes.

74% of those asked are opposed to any further unilateral concessions in present Israeli settlements while only 18% would approve such action. They were also asked if they thought it a mistake to unilaterally pull out from the Gaza strip. 59% thought it a mistake while 29% still believed the move was a correct one.

These are all very sobering numbers for Prime Minister Ahud Olmert who is trying to jump start a peace process. He would like to negotiate with the head of the presumed less extreme Fatah movement and its head Machmoud Abbas. These negotiations which have been ongoing are to lead to a Palestinian State in Judea Samaria and the Gaza Strip. This would predicate dismantlement of all settlements in Judea and Samaria. The Settlements in Gaza have already been taken down. The problems will start when final status talks reach a crucial stage and the invariable crisis occurs. This has happened a number of times in the last ten years and has brought with it extreme violence on the part of the Palestinians.

Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon when faced with the same predicament chose to cede the Gaza Strip as a springboard for perceived improvement in the security realm.

Prime Minister Olmert based on this latest poll doesn’t seem to have this option open to him. Things in the Middle East seem to be getting more complicated as time goes on.