Two thirds of Israelis support formation of Palestinian state

ISRAEL: The results of a recent opinion poll shows that nearly two thirds of Israelis support the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The poll, conducted in December by pollester Mina Tzemach and commissioned by the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace in Washington DC, reveals that 67 percent of Israelis would favor a peace agreement aimed at the formation of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, Israel's retention of major settlement blocs and a division of al-Quds (Jerusalem).

The Israeli regime has persistently continued constructing illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds despite condemnation by the United Nations.

On November 29, the 193-member UN General Assembly voted 138-9 with 41 abstentions at the UN headquarters in New York to upgrade Palestine's status to non-member observer state. The United States and the Israeli regime were among those UN members that voted against the resolution. Washington also blocked a Palestinian request for full UN membership at the UN Security Council last year, using its veto power.

The observer state status grants Palestinians access to UN agencies and the International Criminal Court, where they can file formal complaints against the Israeli regime. The upgrade also allows Palestinians to participate in debates at the UN and improves their chances of joining UN agencies.

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