Seventy percent of Israelis oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines in the wake of the October 7 attacks, a new survey by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA) found on Monday, ahead of a key UN Security Council vote on a US proposal that would open a pathway to Palestinian statehood. The poll, conducted on November 16–17 by Dr. Menachem Lazar of the Lazar Research Institute among a representative sample of 698 Jewish and Arab Israelis, has a margin of error of ±3.7%. The findings come as international momentum grows for recognizing a Palestinian state, even as multiple polls show Israeli public opinion moving in the opposite direction.
According to the JCFA, the level of opposition recorded in this latest survey is the highest in its ongoing series since the war began. Similar national polls earlier this year also found large majorities of Israelis rejecting the creation of a Palestinian state after October 7.
The survey found that 70% of Israelis oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 lines at this time. Only 8% support such a state unconditionally, 13% said they would support it only if the prospective state fully recognizes Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people and is completely demilitarized, and 9% are undecided.
Among Jewish Israelis, opposition is even higher at 79%, up from 76% in the previous JCFA poll. The center said this marks the highest level of Jewish-Israeli opposition in its tracking since the war began, reinforcing earlier The Jerusalem Post reporting that around seven in ten Israelis have opposed Palestinian statehood since February.
The findings contrast sharply with international moves to formalize Palestinian statehood, including recent steps at the UN General Assembly and in several Western capitals to outline an "irreversible" path toward recognition.
Saudi normalization fails to sway majority
The JCFA survey also tested whether prospective normalization with Saudi Arabia would change attitudes toward a Palestinian state. Sixty-two percent of Israelis said they would still oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state even if it were part of a normalization deal with Riyadh.
Among Jewish Israelis, opposition to tying statehood to a Saudi deal rose from 67% in a previous survey to 73%. By contrast, 56% of Arab Israelis support the idea of a Palestinian state in return for normalization, including 34% who back it unconditionally. Previously, a separate survey reported by The Jerusalem Post found that 64% of Israelis opposed including a Palestinian state in a Saudi deal, indicating that opposition has remained strong over time.
QME and F-35 jets at center of Saudi debate
On the question of normalization with Saudi Arabia in exchange for Riyadh receiving advanced F-35 fighter jets, if it drops its demand for a Palestinian state, the public is sharply divided. Forty-three percent of respondents oppose any such deal, while 40% support it.
However, 34% of the total public condition their support on an explicit American guarantee to maintain Israel's Qualitative Military Edge, leaving only 6% who back the deal with no conditions. Among those opposed, 22% explicitly cited a lack of trust in Saudi Arabia's ability to honor long-term commitments. The issue mirrors long-running debates in Israel over US sales of F-35 jets to Arab states and their possible impact on Israel's military edge, concerns that have resurfaced in recent discussions over a potential sale to Riyadh.
Israelis reject the US Security Council formulation on statehood
Regarding the US proposal now before the UN Security Council, 49% of the overall public and 57% of Jewish Israelis oppose any Israeli declaration of future support for a Palestinian state, even if the Palestinians carry out governance and security reforms. Twenty percent of respondents said they would only consider such a declaration if any future Palestinian state were fully demilitarized and formally recognized Israel as the Jewish state.
The question reflects a growing gap between diplomatic initiatives in Washington, European capitals, and the UN, which increasingly focus on recognition of Palestinian statehood, and an Israeli public that remains profoundly skeptical about the security implications of such a move after October 7.
On post-war security arrangements in the Gaza Strip, the survey points to more flexibility. Sixty-two percent of Israelis support deploying an international force in Gaza to stabilize security after the fighting ends.
Of those backing an international presence, 52% said they would prefer a US-only or Western-only force, while only 10% would accept including Turkey and Qatar. At the same time, 26% of all respondents insist that security in Gaza should remain under exclusive Israeli military control, echoing a previous JCFA-commissioned poll that found majority support for a temporary IDF occupation of the Strip after the war.
The JCFA said the new findings show that, even as debates intensify at the UN and in Western capitals over recognizing a Palestinian state, only 8% of Israelis currently support establishing a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines without conditions.