(TheIsraelProject).As Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas prepares to travel to Washington for talks with President Obama Wednesday (June 9) to move forward on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, a recent bipartisan poll commissioned by The Israel Project shows that a strong majority of U.S. voters – 56 percent – believe the United States should support Israel in the conflict with the Palestinians. That compares to only 7 percent who believe the United States should take the Palestinians’ side.
Full Results here
By a greater than 2-1 ratio, Americans consider the Palestinians’ incitement and glorification of terrorists to be a greater obstacle to moving ahead in peace negotiations than Jewish housing built in East Jerusalem. Additionally, 52 percent of Americans agree that Israel’s government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is committed to reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians, while only 31 percent believe that the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, shares that same commitment to peace.
The poll was conducted jointly by Public Opinion Strategies (POS) and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research May 26-27, 2010 with 800 respondents who identified themselves as likely voters. The margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points. “While it's always been assumed that a two-state solution in the Middle East is in the best interests of the United States, this polling data shows that Americans are not eager to embrace a Palestinian nation controlled by a terrorist organization like Hamas,” said Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies.
Among Republican voters, the main reasons for their positive outlook toward Israel centered on Israel’s commitment to addressing terrorism: 60 percent respect Israel being an ally in the war on terrorism and 50 percent said Israel is serious about protecting its citizens from terror.
The main reasons Democrats (52 percent) and independents (48 percent) cited for viewing Israel positively is their support for a two-state solution for achieving peace with the Palestinians.