Majority of Palestinians, Israelis say attack on Iran would result in major regional war: poll

TEHRAN,Sept.23(MNA)– Around 80 percent of both Israelis and Palestinians say that an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities would ignite a major regional war, a joint Israeli-Palestinian survey indicated on Thursday, Haaretz reported. The poll was led by Prof. Yaacov Shamir of the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace and the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University, and Prof. Khalil Shikaki, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. It used a sample of 1270 Palestinian adults in the West Bank, East Jerusalem (Beit-ul-Moqaddas), and the Gaza Strip, along with a sample of 600 Israelis. According to the study’s finding, 77 percent of Israeli respondents and 82 percent of Palestinian respondents said that an Israeli attack on Iran would result in a major regional confrontation. Regarding the possibility of an Israeli strike without U.S. backing, 65 percent of Israelis were against such a course of action, an increase from 52 percent in June. In addition, only 18 percent of Israelis said they supported an Israeli attack on Iran without U.S. backing. Also, the study found that 70 percent of Israelis did not believe Israel would strike Iran in the coming months, with only 20 percent of respondents saying they believe the Iranians’ goal is to destroy Israel.