[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

So you're an Israeli and you see that the Government is embracing a policy
that you think is dangerous and just plain wrong.

You now have two options:

#1. Continue to oppose it even though you believe opposition is futile and
suffer from the frustration.

#2. Tell yourself that you supported the policy that the Government chose
all along and. Presto chango. You not only don't have to feel so bad about
the decision: you can feel the satisfaction that instead of feeling out of
control of your destiny you can have the illusion that things are under
control.]

Poll: Majority of Israelis support prisoner release
War and Peace Index finds clear majority of Israelis support prisoner swaps
which would ensure return of POWs Eldad Regev, Ehud Goldwasser and Gilad
Shalit; 64% believe Hamas will violate ceasefire, 75% oppose ceding Golan
Heights
Ynet Published: 07.06.08, 13:20 / Israel News
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3564495,00.html

Sixty percent of the Israeli Jewish public supports the prisoner exchange
deal Israel signed with Hizbullah in an effort to free kidnapped IDF
soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, even though it means releasing all
the Lebanese prisoners it holds, including Samir Kuntar; and only 32% oppose
it, the War and Peace Index revealed Sunday.

The War and Peace Index is conducted by the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace
Research. Published monthly since 1994, it is run by Prof. Ephraim Yaar and
Prof. Tamar Hermann and is compiled of a monthly telephone survey of 600
Israeli citizens representing the various sectors in Israeli society.

The data, said the Steinmetz Center is vastly different than that of last
month, when of 46% of those polled opposed the deal and only 38% favored it.

The poll also the Jewish public's views on the ceasefire agreement between
Israel and the militant groups in the Gaza Strip; which entails the release
of numerous Palestinian prisoners in return for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad
Shalit.

A large majority of 70% said they would supports the deal and 20% oppose it,
indicating that the Israeli public is more willing pay a high price for the
return of IDF soldiers who are captured by the enemy hands.

Dubious interests
The evident shift in public opinion regarding such exchange deals, said the
Steinmetz Center may also indicate a change in the way other issues in the
foreign and defense spheres are viewed by the public.

As for the Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas, public opinion
was split: Some 45% said the agreement was good for Israel, while 48%
disagreed. However, an unequivocal majority of 79% believed the deal served
Hamas' interests more than it did Israel's. Nevertheless, 64% said the
believed Hamas will not honor the agreement even if Israel does, with only
8.5% saying Israel will be the one to violate the truce.

According to the War and Peace Index, many of the public's doubts regarding
the ceasefire's chances are rooted in an innate skepticism about the motives
behind the government's decision to support it.

Fifty-one percent of those polled said they believed Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert's main motivation for the truce was his political survival, 30% said
he was motivated by Israel's national security needs and 12.5% thought both
interests played a part in the decision.

As for Defense Minister Ehud Barak's role in the decision, 45.5% of the
interviewees said he was probably guided by political-considerations, 35% by
said he was looking out for Israel's national security needs and 11% said
the decision was the product of both.

As for the negotiations with Syria, an overwhelming majority of Israeli
oppose making any concessions in the Golan Heights in exchange for a peace
agreement, as a clear-cut majority of 75% opposed any treaty which would
call for such moves.