A majority of Israelis now favor the transfer of Palestinians out of the administered territories, unless the intifada can be brought to a peaceful end soon.
That solution would be considered by 52 percent of the public, according to a poll just conducted by the Hanoch Smith Research Institute.
That is the largest number of people to support the idea of population transfer since polls were first taken on the issue. Six months ago, only 38 percent of Israelis responding to a poll conducted by the same organization said they would consider the idea, Ha’aretz reported Sunday.
The latest sampling of 1,200 Israelis included kibbutz members, who tend to be dovish, and Jewish settlers in the territories, many of whom are hawkish.
Smith claimed the hardening of feelings reflects the cumulative effects of the Palestinian uprising as it nears the end of its second year and spills over from the territories into Israel proper.
He cited the wrecking of an Egged bus by a Palestinian last July 6, which cost 16 lives, and the occasional murders and stabbings of Jews in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
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