A recent poll reveals that as opposed to Israeli leaders, much of Israel's public does not feel the same sense of emergency in the wake of the landslide victory of Hamas in recent Palestinian elections.
The poll, conducted by the Peace Index Project at the Center for Peace Research at Tel Aviv, surveyed a cross-section of Israelis between January 30 and February 1.
Its findings reveal that 40 percent of Israelis feel that since Hamas was elected by the Palestinian people democratically, the future government that it forms is a "legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in every way," according to Haaretz.
Forty six percent of the Israeli public feels that Hamas will moderate its involvement in terror attacks against Israel in light of its newfound political power.
Additionally, despite the fact that most Israelis fear that there is no real chance of achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians under Hamas, some 43 percent responded that political negotiations should continue with a Hamas-led government.
The survey also analyzed attitude towards negotiations with Hamas based on party affiliation, finding that considerable differences existed depending on which party a person intended to vote for in the upcoming Israeli elections.
Among those who plan to vote for the Likud party, formerly led by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, only 30 percent favored negotiating with a Hamas-led government.
Of those who said they would vote for the new centrist party formed by Sharon, Kadima, almost half (48 percent) favored such talks.
Supporters of religious parties such as Shas and Natinal Union had much lower rates of approval of negotiations with Hamas of 28 and 17 percent, respectively.
On the other hand, an overwhelming 100 percent of those interviewed who supported Israel's Meretz party favored negotiations with Hamas.
