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Peace Process

Poll: Most Israelis don't back 'convergence'

Olmert apparently out of touch with public's wishes


By Ryan Jones
April 12, 2006

The results of a post-election public opinion poll seem to show that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is out of touch with the wishes of most of his countrymen by insisting his incoming government has a clear mandate to surrender most of Judea and Samaria to the Hamas Authority.

During coalition negotiations as he works to put together his new government, Olmert has let it be known that he plans to implement "convergence" by November 2008.

However, a survey conducted by The Peace Index Project earlier this month asked a random sampling of 602 Israeli adults if they believe Israel should act unilaterally to set its borders, or maintain the status quo.

A 44 percent majority opposes the kind of unilateral withdrawals that form the backbone of Olmert's policies. Forty-one percent said they support a pullout.

Hardly the "clear mandate" Olmert declared he had received when the vote tally late last month showed his Kadima Party receiving 29 Knesset seats, marking the first time ever that Israel's ruling party will control less than one quarter of the parliament.

Also in his coalition talks with the second-place Labor Party earlier this week, Olmert made it clear he will not allow a national referendum on future withdrawals, again insisting the March 28 general election had already served that purpose.

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