A majority of British Jews think the Israeli government should negotiate with Hamas, 52 per cent compared with 39 per cent against, according to what is claimed to be the largest survey ever conducted among Jews in Britain.
The survey of 4,081 people via an online questionnaire was carried out by pollsters Ipsos MORI for the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) and commissioned by the Pears Foundation, one of the major funders of Jewish and Israel-related causes in the UK.
According to the survey, entitled "Committed, concerned and conciliatory: The attitudes of Jews in Britain towards Israel," the vast majority of British Jews remain committed to the state of Israel while divided over its policies on peace and security.
90 % regard Israel as the "ancestral homeland" of the Jewish people, 87 per cent believe Jews have a "special responsibility" to ensure its survival, and 72 per cent consider themselves Zionists. Nine out of 10 have visited the country.
While 59 per cent believe that Israel is less responsible than its neighbours for the failure of the Middle East peace process, 34 per cent disagree.
But the study also found that most Jews in Britain (78 percent) favour a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, while 15 percent are opposed and eight percent are undecided.
wo-thirds (67 per cent) think Israel should be prepared to swap land for peace, almost the same proportion as in a survey 15 years ago.
Almost three-quarters (74 per cent) are opposed to settlement expansion. But there was strong support for Israel's incursion into Gaza in December 2008, with 72 per cent believing it "a legitimate act of self-defence".
The same proportion also believe that the separation barrier to stop terrorist attacks is "vital" for Israel's security.
Half of those surveyed agreed that "Israeli control of the West Bank is vital for Israel's security", while 40 percent disagreed.
Fifty-two percent think Israel should negotiate with Hamas, the Islamist group running the Gaza Strip which does not recognize Israel's right to exist and has been behind scores of deadly bomb attacks, while 39 percent were against talks.
"Of those who agree, only one-third 'strongly agrees', which suggests that even among those in favour of negotiations with Hamas, a certain degree of aution is being expressed," the study said.
"Secular" respondents were more likely to agree than "religious" ones (67 percent to 35 percent).
"Fundamentally, we found that most Jews feel a strong sense of connection to Israel, and for many it forms an important, and even central, part of their Jewish identity,” JPR's executive director, Jonathan Boyd, commented
"Jews in Britain are pro-Israel and pro-peace," he added.
"Their hawkishness on some issues is typically motivated by a clear concern for Israel's security, while their dovishness on others reflects a deep-set desire to see the country at peace, both with itself and with its neighbours."
As many as 73 per cent believe that Jews should be free to criticise Israel in the British media, at least on some occasions, compared to only a quarter who think it never justified.
Most British Jews (71 percent) feel comfortable about living in this country, but 26 per cent felt uncomfortable because of Israel.
But almost a quarter had witnessed an anti-Semitic incident over the previous twelve months and more than half of those thought it related to Israel. More than a third said that Israel figured highly in their voting intentions in British elections.
Trevor Pears, executive chairman of the Pears Foundation, was quoted by The Jewish Chronicle as saying that the results offered evidence "that British Jews can hold critical opinions of some of Israel's policies, while retaining a positive attachment to the country as a whole".