Majority of Israelis think there will never be peace in region: Poll

Almost two-thirds of Israelis believe there will never be a peace agreement with the Palestinians, according to the results of an opinion poll published on Sunday.

Sixty-four percent of the 646 Israeli and Arab Israeli respondents questioned said a peace accord would never be reached, in the survey conducted by the Project HaMidgam institute for the Walla news website.

Twenty-four percent believed an accord was possible but that it would take longer than five years to achieve, while four percent thought it could be attained within five years.

The remaining eight percent were undecided in the poll, whose margin of error was not published.

The peace process between Israel and the Palestinians has been comatose since the collapse of a US-led initiative in April 2014.

With diplomatic efforts stalled, violence has spiralled, with an uptick in bloodshed since last October leaving over 200 Palestinians and at least 30 Israelis dead.

On Friday a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem was shot dead after stabbing an Israeli soldier at the notorious Qalandia checkpoint in the West Bank.

Many analysts say Palestinian frustration with the Israeli occupation and settlement building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have helped feed the unrest.

A day after the attack, Israel approved the construction of 98 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, as well as an industrial zone close to the Palestinian capital in Ramallah.

Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank are viewed as illegal under international law.

Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a main cause of the violence.