JERUSALEM — Dozens of prominent Israeli artists and intellectuals declared their support for a Palestinian state on the streets of Tel Aviv on Thursday and quickly found themselves confronted by rightist opponents calling them “traitors” and, according to one report, “Jewish Nazis.”

While angry confrontations between protesters on opposite sides of Israel’s gaping ideological divide are not unknown here, this one came at a delicate time, with international pressure growing on Israel to find a way back to peace talks with the Palestinians. It also occurred in a symbolic place, in front of the building where David Ben-Gurion declared Israeli independence in the spring of 1948.

The group of leftist intellectuals and artists signed the declaration endorsing a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders and asserting that an end to Israel’s occupation “will liberate the two peoples and open the way to a lasting peace.” Among the signers are about 20 winners of the Israel Prize, the country’s most prestigious award.

The last round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations collapsed in September, soon after they started, when a temporary Israeli moratorium on building in West Bank Jewish settlements expired. The Palestinians refuse to return to talks as long as construction continues, and they want clear terms of reference for negotiations. Israel says it is ready to resume talks, but without preconditions.