The Arab Peace Initiative, also known as the Saudi Initiative, is a far-reaching diplomatic plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Arab League confirmed it back in 2002, but despite its great importance, only one in eight Jews in Israel is familiar with its details. This interesting fact emerges from a poll conducted by Mina Tzemach for the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary College in Herzliya.
The poll, to be presented at the 14th Herzliya Conference opening June 8, is published here by Al-Monitor for the first time. It included a representative sampling of the Israeli public, questioning 500 people and allowing a 4.4% margin of error. Its findings provide an evidence-based tool to debate a series of questions: Why is the initiative, adopted by 28 Arab states and on its face a possible significant platform for negotiations, barely known among the Israeli public? What is the reason behind almost all Israeli decision-makers having ignored the initiative? Is there a way to break the “conspiracy of silence” surrounding it? And why have its public relations so far been so problematic?
