Jerusalem: A new poll shows that Israelis overwhelmingly support a lopsided prisoner swap in which 1,027 Palestinian prisoners will be released for one captured soldier.
The poll shows that 79 percent of Israelis support a deal under which Sgt Gilad Schalit will be released by his Hamas captors on Tuesday.
Only 14 percent said they opposed the deal.
Schalit has been held in Gaza for more than five years. Among those to be freed in return for the soldier are Palestinian militants responsible for deadly suicide bombings and other attacks against Israelis.
The poll was carried out by the Dahaf Institute and published in the daily Yediot Ahronot on Monday. Pollsters interviewed 500 respondents, and the margin of error was 4.4 percentage points.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, October 17, 2011, 15:47