BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 31 (UPI) -- Nearly three in four Palestinians do not expect a peace accord with Israel to be permanent and successful, a survey released Wednesday indicates.
The poll by Gallup Inc. said 74 percent of Palestinians doubt a permanent peace between Israel and Palestine will ever be achieved, with 17 percent saying it will. Israelis surveyed are also doubtful, but less skeptical. More than half of Israelis interviewed said they do not expect peace to be achieved, while 29 percent were optimistic.
Eighty-five percent of Palestinians called a peace treaty "very important" to their futures. A smaller but substantial number, 80 percent, consider it important for their personal safety and for the security of Palestinians.
The results were based on face-to-face interviews with about 1,000 adults, conducted in May and June in the Palestinian territories, and in October in Israel. Gallup says the margin of sampling error of the survey is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.
