Israel and That "One-Dollar Solid Gold Watch"

In "Guys and Dolls," a favorite show of mine, there's short running gag about people, chumps, more willing to buy a "one dollar solid gold watch," rather that going to a "prayer meeting."



Israeli politicians and the media have been trying to sell us a "one dollar solid gold watch" for years.  There was a time when many Israelis firmly believed that they could get such a bargain, and they mocked us who called them chumps.  But now polls are showing that the vast majority of Israelis no longer trust those salesmen.

A new Israel Hayom poll shows that the vast majority of Israeli Jews believe the newly launched talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are a futile endeavor.

The poll was conducted by New Wave Research on Aug. 14 from a representative and random sample of 500 Hebrew-speaking Jews, aged 18 and up. It had a 4.4 percent margin of error.

Some 79.7% of respondents said the talks would not end with a permanent peace accord that would resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Just 6.2% said such an agreement would be reached, and 14.1% said they had no opinion.

In a similar poll in July, 73.1% said negotiations would not lead to a peace agreement, while only 5.3% said the talks would conclude with a deal, and 21.6% had no opinion. Israel Hayom

Unfortunately, they still think they can find a solid gold watch for a bargain price some place.

Sarah... should you be able to
bend a solid gold watch?

Some 62.9% of respondents said they would have preferred it if Israel had announced a settlement freeze in Judea and Samaria, including east Jerusalem, instead of agreeing to a prisoner release. Eleven percent said Israel made the right decision by opting for a prisoner release over a construction moratorium, and 25.8% had no opinion. It should be noted that the respondents were given a hypothetical scenario in which Israel was presented with an either/or choice.

There is still some illogic in your typical Israeli mind.  Why do my fellow citizens continue to believe that we can negotiate peace with people who want us destroyed?  The aim of the Arabs is another Holocaust, this time  against the Jewish population in the Land of Israel.

I am not in the market for a one-dollar solid gold watch. Guys and Dolls