Note: The Arab Peace Initiative has repeatedly been reject out of hand by successive Israeli governments. 

Saudi Plan Splits Views in Middle East

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A proposal that seeks to create an independent Palestinian state remains divisive in the Middle East, according to a poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research and the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 64 per cent of Palestinians support the Saudi plan, while 54 per cent of Israelis oppose it.

The former British mandate of Palestine was instituted at the end of World War I, to oversee a territory in the Middle East that formerly belonged to the Ottoman Empire. After the end of World War II and the Nazi holocaust, the Zionist movement succeeded in establishing an internationally recognized homeland. In November 1947, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the formation of a Jewish state.

In 1948, the British government withdrew from the mandate and the state of Israel was created in roughly 15,000 square kilometres of the mandate’s land, with the remaining areas split under the control of Egypt and Transjordan. Since then, the region has seen constant disagreement between Israel and the Palestinians, represented for decades by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Wars broke out in the region in the second half of the 20th Century, involving Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.

Around 750,000 Palestinians fled or were forced to leave their territory during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The "right of return"—under which Palestinians aim to re-occupy their homes in Israel—has always been a questionable point in peace negotiations. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from the war and their descendants still live in shantytown camps run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), next to Gaza cities and towns.

During the six-day war in 1967, Israel gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.

Saudi Arabia has proposed the Arab Peace Initiative (API) to reconcile Israel and the Palestinians. The plan states that Israel will retreat from all territories occupied in 1967, and a Palestinian state would be established. The refugee issue—or the "right of return"—will be dealt with in accordance with United Nations (UN) Resolution 194. All Arab states would agree to recognize Israel and establish normal diplomatic relations.

Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas is currently heading the Palestinian Authority from the West Bank, endorsed by Israel and most of the Western international community. Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas became the de-facto leader in the Gaza Strip after his organization took over the territory in a violent confrontation with Fatah in June 2007.

Last month, Saudi Arabian foreign ministry spokesman Osama Nugali discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "The Arab peace initiative is very clear. That Israel should withdraw from the Arab lands and put an end to its occupation and resolve the major issues of the conflict. (...) In the Arab peace process normalization comes after achieving these goals, not before it. So we should not put the cart before the horse."

Polling Data

According to the Saudi plan, Israel will retreat from all territories occupied in 1967 including Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, and a Palestinian state will be established. The refugee problem will be resolved through negotiation in a just and agreed upon manner and in accordance with UN Resolution 194, which allows return of refugees to Israel and compensation. In return, all Arab states will recognize Israel and its right to secure borders, will sign peace treaties with her and establish normal diplomatic relations. Do you support or oppose the Saudi plan?

Source: Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research / Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,270 Palestinian adults in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, conducted Aug. 13 to Aug. 15, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent. Telephone interviews with 600 adult Israelis, conducted from Aug. 9 to Aug. 13, 2009. Margin of error is 4.5 per cent.