Half of Israelis favor
deal on Jerusalem: poll
Fri Dec 16, 2005 9:16 AM ET
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Nearly half of Israelis would support giving
up parts of Arab East Jerusalem under any eventual peace deal with
the Palestinians, a poll published on Friday showed.
The survey in Yedioth Ahronoth said 49 percent favored giving
Palestinians control over largely Arab neighborhoods of East
Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War and
annexed in a move not recognized internationally.
Another 49 percent said they would oppose relinquishing any of the
city Israel regards as its "indivisible capital". Palestinians want
East Jerusalem as capital of a would-be state.
The fate of the city, holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians has
always been one of the toughest problems facing any peace
negotiations.
The survey was taken after the U.S. weekly Newsweek quoted a
pollster for Sharon as saying the prime minister was "in theory" in
favor of a withdrawal from 90 percent of the occupied West Bank and
parts of Jerusalem.
Sharon has strongly denied the report, but the newspaper poll
suggested most Israelis felt it was true. It said that 56 percent
believed Sharon would agree to exchange parts of the city for
peace, while 37 percent thought he would not.
Sharon quit the rightist Likud Party last month to head a separate
list called Kadima, saying he sought a freer hand for peace moves
with the Palestinians, though he says there would be no
negotiations before the Palestinians disarm militants.
Polls predict the ex-general would win a third term in a March 28
national election.
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Some kind of "Peace Treaty" is gonna
take place in the Middle East in future!! 
