Over half Israelis support renewed Israeli-Syrian talks: poll

More than half of Israelis would like to see Israel hold negotiations with Syria for peace, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

Among the 499 Israeli respondents in the poll conducted by Market Watch, a leading financial information company subordinated to Dow Jones & Company, 57 percent uphold negotiations with Syria, while 59 percent even fear an outbreak of war in northern Israel bordering Syria unless talks are held.

However, 54 percent respondents voted against Israeli withdrawal from Golan Heights, which was occupied by the Jewish state in the 1967 Middle East War.

Asked whether Israel could hold negotiations with both Syria and the Palestinians at the same time, 70 percent respondents gave negative answer, while 58 percent specifically preferred Israel to start up talks with Palestinians before talks with Syria.

Talks between Syria and Israel foundered in 2000 over the fate of the strategic Golan plateau.

Syria has proposed for times to resume the talks, but received only a cold shoulder from Israel, which accused Syrian government of harboring Palestinian terror organizations and Hezbollah militants.

Source: Xinhua