Major Israeli NGO warns Jews see peace with Palestinians as ‘impossible’ after 7 October

A leading Israeli non-profit warned last night that most Jewish Israelis believe it is “impossible” to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Ron Gerlitz, CEO of the aChord Centre, an organisation that specialises in the social psychology of intergroup relations, said, “After October 7th, the Jewish public got the ultimate validation of their long-standing distrust towards the Palestinians – we have seen a growth in the narrative of self-victimhood and a rise in zero-sum perceptions of the conflict.

“This combination of negative perceptions is creating a worrying and dangerous state of mind.”

Speaking at an event hosted by the New Israel Fund focused on Israeli democracy ahead of the 2026 election, Gerlitz noted that this would be the first election in recent years in which the conflict was an active campaign issue.

By comparison, polling in August 2023, just a few months before the 7 October attack, found that tackling the war was not even among the top five issues concerning voters.

“The discourse in Israel is now mainly around who will ensure security. Netanyahu will come to the election with a strong message around defeating Iran, the Houthis, etc.

“There is, however, now a vacuum among Israelis looking for a solution which sits outside of the right-wing Netanyahu government’s view around ‘managing’ the conflict.

“The Liberal Democratic camp will need to share an alternative message and also construct a coalition which includes an Arab party.”

Gerlitz explained that the main alternative was currently a United States-led regional political security agreement that includes the establishment of a Palestinian state in exchange for Arab state recognition and normalisation.

50 percent of Israelis and 40 percent of Jewish Israelis support this policy, he noted. Among opposition voters, the figure is as high as 75 percent.

“What we are seeing is a negative perception of the Palestinians but a pragmatic view of resolving the conflict,” Gerlitz concluded.

He also presented recent polling which found 66 percent of all Jewish Israelis believe to a ‘high extent’ that there are no innocent people in Gaza. Even amongst Opposition voters, this figure is still 45 percent.

Mariam Kabaha, also from aChord, explained the stark figures in terms of a mindset of fear.

“Jewish society in Israel is afraid – they are tense when they hear Arabic in public. Jewish people are afraid to enter Arab localities and are living in survival mode. Similarly, there is a fear of violence and a feeling of abandonment among Arab Israelis.”

The aChord Centre seeks to tackle this disconnect by providing training based on social psychology in order to reduce tension and prevent escalation in shared spaces. These include workplaces, universities and hospitals where Jews and Arab Israelis regularly mingle.

“It is important to us to facilitate a future where everyone works together and has positive encounters – these encourage Israelis to be curious and feel better about ‘other’ groups.

“Our tools have seen success, particularly in explaining within workplaces how to speak in a tolerant manner.

“We see the government is doing nothing to heal the trauma, and that is why there has been a huge demand for our service.”