Poll Shows Half of Israelis Favor Settlement Policy Changes
An aChord poll finds 50% of Israelis believe the government should adjust West Bank settlement policy to avoid international isolation and sanctions.
A recent poll by the Israeli social research group aChord indicates that 50% of the Israeli public believes the government should adjust its West Bank settlement and construction policy to prevent international isolation and an escalation of sanctions. The survey follows a September decision by UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to impose a trade ban on goods from illegal settlements.
Public opinion remains divided on the nature of these penalties. While 63% of respondents oppose the UK trade ban, 52% support sanctions specifically targeting individual violent settlers. The data shows that opposition to settlement policy increases when voters anticipate personal financial damage, such as credit card restrictions or higher interest rates resulting from sanctions on financing banks.
A sharp partisan divide characterizes the results. Supporters of Gadi Eisenkot's Change bloc largely favor adapting settlement policy to avoid sanctions, with 71% in agreement. In contrast, most supporters of Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc believe the government should maintain its current policy regardless of the international cost.
