Monday, January 12, 2009

Voters Still Say Palestinians to Blame, But 50% Say Israel Should Accept Truce

(Rasmussenreports)Voters Still Say Palestinians to Blame, But 50% Say Israel Should Accept Truce,Two weeks of military action in the Gaza Strip has done nothing to move public opinion in America.

Today, 56% of voters nationwide say that the Palestinians are to blame for the current situation in Gaza while 13% say the Israelis are at fault. Two weeks ago, a nationwide survey of adults found that 55% placed the blame on the Palestinians and 13% pointed the finger at Israel.

Forty-five percent (45%) say Israel should have taken military action against the Palestinians, little changed from 44% two weeks ago. Thirty-eight percent (38%) say that the Jewish nation should have tried harder to find a diplomatic solution, down slightly from 41% in the earlier survey.

As in the earlier survey, Republicans strongly agree with Israel while Democrats wish there had been more efforts at diplomacy. Forty-seven percent (47%) of unaffiliated voters support Israel’s military action while 36% would like to have seen more diplomatic efforts.

Looking ahead, 50% say Israel should agree to a truce now while 26% disagree