Israeli, Palestinian youth fear conflict will never end: Poll

A member of the Israeli security forces pulls the arm of a woman lying on the ground during scuffles following the demolition of a Palestinian home which Israeli authorities said was built without a permit in the village of Al-Dirat near the West Bank town of Hebron on Jan 16, 2020. PHOTO: AFP

GAZA CITY, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES (AFP) - The majority of young Israelis and Palestinians believe the conflict between their peoples "will never end", according to a survey published on Thursday (Jan 16) by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Sixty five per cent of Israeli millennials surveyed and 52 per cent of their Palestinian counterparts said they expected the conflict to continue in perpetuity, the ICRC said in a statement.

It said they were the most pessimistic of a series of war-affected populations surveyed in a global poll of more than 16,000 people aged between 20 and 35.

The global poll found more than half feared there would be a nuclear attack in the next decade.

"In general, the results indicate that millennials are nervous about the future, and heightened tensions in the Middle East are likely to deepen these fears," the ICRC said in a statement.

The simmering conflict has been ongoing for decades and there are currently no peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in a 1967 war and later annexed the flashpoint holy city in a move never recognised by the international community.

Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas and allied militant groups have fought three wars with Israel since 2008.

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