Whereas most Israelis hope for the day when a Palestinian state will be established living in peace alongside a Jewish state with mutual recognition and respect for our respective national aspirations, a newly published survey would suggest that most Palestinians do not share that vision.

A poll conducted on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip by Stanley Greenberg on behalf of The Israel Project shows that only 30% of Palestinians view a two-state solution as their ultimate goal. By contrast, some sixty per cent would seem to see the establishment of their state alongside Israel as just the first phase in what would ultimately lead to a Palestinian state extending from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean.

While the results of the survey may at first sight appear depressing, they at least reflect an acceptance on the part of the Palestinians that they cannot expect to establish their state, at least at this stage, at the expense of Israel.

Perhaps, in time, with a state of their own, unrealistic aspirations will give way to pragmatism in the same way as the Likkud party in Israel has had to come to terms with reality and accept the notion of two states for two peoples.

For the full results of the survey, go to

http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hsJPK0PIJpH&b=689705&ct=8886389