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Israelis' Despair Revealed
In Annual Survey
By David Blair The Telegraph - UK
9-30-3


JERUSALEM -- Israelis are in a state of open despair about their country's future, according to a deeply pessimistic opinion poll released yesterday.
 
The annual survey by the best-selling Yedioth Ahronoth daily also showed the public split down the middle over its view of Ariel Sharon, the prime minister.
 
With the collapse of the American-backed "road map" peace plan, the chances of the Palestinian intifada coming to an end have never seemed lower. Two thirds of those questioned predicted the intifada would continue or worsen in the coming year.
 
Asked whether their children would enjoy a better future, 73 per cent replied "no". Asked to describe their feelings about the country's situation, 43 per cent said they were in "despair".
 
The survey also found that 21 per cent of parents believe their children are even more pessimistic than they are. The anguish of young Israelis is evident.
 
Dafna Israel, 19, is about to start her compulsory year of military service. Once she leaves the army, she has decided to emigrate. "I feel happier when I'm outside of Israel, I'm sorry to say. You come back here from abroad and immediately you feel it. You feel the same pressure, the same fear, the same reality," she said.
 
There is also a secondary concern about Israel's worsening economic crisis. It has been in recession for two years and unemployment exceeds 10 per cent. An austerity budget is being imposed and a public-sector strike began yesterday.
 
The poll found that 43 per cent of Israelis believe their own standard of living will worsen in the coming year. Thirty-seven per cent say the country's economy will continue to decline.
 
There is little confidence in the ability of Mr Sharon to lift Israel out of crisis. Asked whether Mr Sharon is trustworthy, 49 per cent say "yes" and 50 per cent "no".
 
ï The Israeli defence ministry and a leading Palestinian university reached agreement yesterday on a section of the bitterly controversial "security fence".
 
This had been planned to slice through the campus of al-Quds University south of Jerusalem. But the defence ministry said an "understanding" had been reached that would provide for the construction of the fence without affecting the university.
 
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2003.
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/09/30/
wmid30.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/09/30/ixworld.html

 

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