Palestinian terrorist Samir Kuntar who was released previously by the Israeli government. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

A poll of 500 adult Israelis showed that 80 percent of secular Jews in Israel are against releasing Palestinian terrorists incarcerated in Israeli jails for their crimes as a gesture toward the renewing of Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations. Among more religious Jews, more than 95 percent are against such a move.

The Smith Research poll was conducted Wednesday for the terror victims organization Almagor. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s announced last week that Israelis and Palestinians have reached a new “basis” for peace negotiations, and Israel was asked to release 85 Palestinian terrorists imprisoned before the 1993 Oslo Accords in order to start the negotiations.

On Saturday, Israeli International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz said the prisoner released will include “heavyweight prisoners who have been in jail for dozens of years” and have been convicted of violent crimes against Israelis, the Jerusalem Post reported.

“It will not be simple, but we will make that gesture,” Steinitz said.