AL QUDS, May 16: A new opinion poll on Friday showed only about one in three Israelis supports an international peace plan known as the “roadmap”.

The survey published by the Maariv newspaper also showed fewer than one in three respondents believe the United States should put pressure on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to accept the plan. He meets President George W. Bush in Washington next week.

The poll found 36 per cent of Israelis support the “roadmap” and 29 per cent oppose the plan drawn up by an international “quartet” grouping the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia.

Thirty-five per cent of respondents were undecided about the plan, which calls for creating a Palestinian state by 2005.

The Maariv poll, conducted this week among 560 Israelis, showed 33 per cent of respondents believe Sharon supports the roadmap. Thirty-six per cent said they think the former army general opposes the plan and 31 per cent were undecided.

Thirty per cent of people surveyed said they would support US pressure on Israel to accept the roadmap and 46 per cent said they would not. Twenty-four per cent had no response.

Asked if they were content with Sharon’s performance as prime minister, 47 per cent said yes and 42 per cent said no. Eleven per cent were undecided. The Maariv poll had a four per cent margin of error.

EU: In comments made ahead of a planned Saturday evening meeting between Mr Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, EU officials said the Israeli leader must “explicitly accept the peace roadmap”.

A similar message is expected to be sent to Israel by EU foreign ministers who meet in Brussels on May 19.—Reuters/dpa