Israelis oppose full Golan withdrawal

Most Israelis would oppose handing over the Golan Heights in a peace deal with Syria, a survey found.According to the poll in Friday’s Maariv, 84 percent of Israelis would oppose any withdrawal from the Golan in exchange for peace with Syria or would support only a partial withdrawal. Just 10 percent of respondents said Israel should meet Syria’s bedrock demand for a full return of the Golan.Asked about recent peace overtures between Jerusalem and Damascus, 74 percent of respondents said they did not believe that Syrian President Bashar Assad wanted peace, while 17 percent believed him. Forty-seven percent of Israelis believed war could break out with Syria in the coming year and 37 percent did not.Should there be hostilities, 76 percent of Israelis believed their side would win, 4 percent said Syria would prevail and 4 percent said neither side would come out on top.The poll had 500 respondents and a 4.5 percent margin of error.