Israelis Overwhelmingly Oppose Palestinian Statehood After October 7, New Surveys Show

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – As the United Nations Security Council approved a U.S.-drafted resolution laying out a pathway toward a Palestinian state, new polling shows Israeli public opinion moving sharply in the opposite direction.

A sweeping 70% of Israelis oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines, according to a national survey released Monday by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA). The poll — conducted Nov. 16–17 by Dr. Menachem Lazar among 698 Jewish and Arab Israelis (±3.7%) — reflects the strongest opposition registered since the outbreak of the war following the October 7 Hamas massacre.

Among Jewish Israelis, opposition rises to 79%, up from 76% in the previous JCFA poll, marking the highest level recorded in the center’s ongoing tracking.

Only 8% support creating a Palestinian state unconditionally. Another 13% said they would consider it only if the state fully recognizes Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people and is entirely demilitarized, while 9% remain undecided.

These findings stand in stark contrast to the growing diplomatic push in Western capitals and at the UN to formalize Palestinian statehood — an effort that the Israeli public views with profound skepticism in the aftermath of the deadliest attack in the country’s history.

Saudi Normalization Fails to Shift Attitudes

The JCFA survey tested whether the prospect of normalization with Saudi Arabia would soften opposition to Palestinian statehood. It did not.

Sixty-two percent of Israelis oppose the creation of a Palestinian state even as part of a normalization deal with Riyadh.

Among Jewish Israelis, opposition jumped from 67% in earlier polling to 73%, underscoring deep security concerns and distrust of concessions tied to regional diplomacy.

By contrast, 56% of Arab Israelis support a Palestinian state in return for Saudi-Israel normalization, including 34% who support it outright.

These numbers mirror previous national surveys that consistently showed roughly two-thirds of Israelis opposing any linkage between a Palestinian state and a Saudi agreement.

F-35 Jets and QME at Center of Normalization Debate

Asked whether Israel should support a U.S.-Saudi-Israel defense arrangement granting Riyadh F-35 fighter jets in exchange for dropping its demand for a Palestinian state, Israelis are nearly evenly split:

• 43% oppose any such deal
• 40% support it

But support is heavily conditioned:

• 34% support it only if the U.S. explicitly guarantees the preservation of Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME)
• Only 6% support the deal unconditionally
• Among opponents, 22% cite distrust of Saudi Arabia’s long-term commitments

The debate echoes longstanding concerns in Israel about advanced U.S. weapons sales to Arab states and their potential to chip away at Israel’s strategic advantage.

Israelis Reject US Security Council Formulation on Statehood

Ahead of the Security Council vote, the survey asked Israelis whether they support an Israeli declaration backing a future Palestinian state — even if the Palestinians conduct governance and security reforms.

The answer was clear:

• 49% of Israelis oppose any such declaration
• Among Jewish Israelis, opposition climbs to 57%

Another 20% say they would consider it only if a future Palestinian state is fully demilitarized and recognizes Israel as the Jewish state.

JCFA President Dan Diker called the Security Council move “ill-advised and poorly timed,” arguing that an international force charged with disarming Hamas is “a fantasy because no international security force will disarm Hamas.”

He warned the U.S.-sponsored resolution risks pressuring Israel to scale back counterterror operations while doing little to neutralize the terror infrastructure embedded in Gaza.

Majority Support International Force in Gaza — But Prefer US or Western Troops

On post-war Gaza security arrangements, the survey reveals more public openness:

• 62% support deploying an international stabilization force in Gaza
• Of those, 52% prefer a U.S.-only or Western-only force
• Only 10% support including Turkey or Qatar — countries widely viewed in Israel as sympathetic to Hamas
• 26% say Israel must retain sole military control of Gaza

These findings align with earlier JCFA polling showing strong support for continued IDF control of Gaza until long-term security can be assured.

A Growing Gap Between Global Diplomacy and Israeli Public Opinion

As pressure intensifies at the UN and in Western capitals to advance Palestinian statehood, the new JCFA survey underscores the widening divide between international diplomatic narratives and Israeli public sentiment.

With only 8% of Israelis willing to support a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines without conditions, and overwhelming majorities citing security fears, mistrust after October 7, and deep concerns about demilitarization, the path envisioned by foreign governments is one the Israeli public overwhelmingly rejects.

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