J Street has commissioned its first opinion survey seeking to determine the level of support among American Jews for territorial compromise and a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict (summary). There will be those of my right-wing readers who may doubt the results given J Street’s clear political commitments. But the poll actually dovetails nicely with the AJC annual survey results on similar questions.
One of the more interesting survey results was a mixed finding: when asked whether Israel played a “big role” in their election vote, 58% answered “yes.” But when listed among a group of other issues, Israel came out in the bottom tier of issues and only 8% noted Israel was one of their two top issues in determining their vote for president or Congress. This interesting outcome indicates that theoretically Jews believe Israel is an important political issue. But when push comes to shove there are other bread and butter issues like the economy and Iraq war which are far more important. To me, this indicates that support for the Israel lobby is quite shallow among the Jewish community outside that 8% who are driven by the issue.
It’s no surprise that Jews disapprove of Bush’ job performance though the 16% rating is even lower than I thought it might be. Obama beats McCain in the poll by 62% to 32%. This is a respectable showing by McCain compared to past Republican presidential races, but still quite low.
Respondents disapproved of Bush’s Middle East policy and believe he should be much more engaged in lobbying for peace. 61% believe Israel is “less secure” than it was before his presidency. Only 26% believe it is more secure.
When asked whether the solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict involved negotiating peace agreements or relying on military force alone to achieve security, the survey endorsed the former over the latter by 50% to 34%.
Fully 75% of those polled believe that the U.S. should play an aggressive role in promoting a negotiated peace even if it meant disagreeing publicly with the positions of the parties to the conflict. 70% were even willing for the U.S. to exert “pressure” on those parties it saw as impeding progress toward a settlement. This has to be bad news for the Republican Jewish Coalition which lamely attempts to claim every election cycle that Democrats are soft on Israel because they are more likely to support U.S. policy saying that Israeli settlements are an obstacle to peace. This poll shows that American Jews would not have a problem with any Administration that took an assertive role in defending this position.
Joe Lieberman isn’t going to like the following results. Only 7% of poll respondents view evangelical Zionist leader John Hagee favorably. Only 19% have a favorable impression of Christians United for Israel. Only 1 in 4 said Jewish groups should form alliances with CUFI (are you listening Joe, or do you care?). Finally, Holy Joe himself only earns a 37% favorable rating (48% unfavorable).
Regarding Iran: 69% said they were more likely to support a candidate who called for negotiations with Iran and resorting to sanctions if they failed.
Several results I found alarming: 48% were more likely to vote for a candidate who called for supporting Israel if it launched a pre-emptive attack on Iran. That indicates not enough American Jews understand that our national interests may diverge from Israel’s.
65% were more likely to support a candidate who said (falsely by the way) that Arabs have repeatedly rejected Israeli peace offers. Only 44% support the idea of declaring East Jerusalem the capital of a Palestinian state.
58% support Israeli withdrawal from the Golan in return for peace with Syria. 59% support withdrawal from “most” of the West Bank. 52% believe the U.S. should tell Israel to “end settlement expansion.” 76% believe Israel should negotiate with Hamas on behalf of peace. 54% believe that IDF killings of Palestinian civilians lead to more terror. 61% are opposed to collective punishment (Israel’s current policy toward Gaza). 81% will support “any peace deal” agreed to by Israel with its Arab neighbors. One should keep this fact in mind when listening to the geshrei from the Orthodox community, which calls any territorial compromise on Jerusalem a betrayal of the Jewish people. Only a very small minority of American Jews agree.
Quite frankly, I was shocked that AIPAC itself earned only a 38% favorable rating (21% unfavorable). 60% say it does not bother them when American Jews disagree with Israeli government policy. When asked whether traditional Jewish groups in general do a good job of representing the community’s views on Israel 49% agreed. When asked specifically whether AIPAC did a good job that number fell to 34%. All this again showing the weakness of the AIPAC when it is viewed in the context of the overall Jewish community.
JTA once again produced bizarrely skewed reporting on the survey which focussed largely on Obama’s alleged lack of support among Jews:
American Jews are less supportive of Barack Obama than previous Democratic nominees, a new poll found.
The lack of support comes despite overwhelming unhappiness with the Bush administration.
I find it interesting that 62% constitutes a “lack of support.” Would you say JTA is telegraphing its own prejudices or just guilty of sloppy journalism (or both)?
I’ll give anyone who discovers the weakness of the following claim honorary membership in the Tikun Olam fan club:
Al Gore and Bill Clinton both drew approximately 80 percent of the Jewish vote in their respective runs for the presidency, while John Kerry garnered about 76 percent in 2004.
The correct way to make this comparison would be using the percentage of support for each candidate AT THIS STAGE in the campaign, and not to compare Obama’s ranking now with Gore, Clinton’s or Kerry’s on Election Day. I’ll bet JTA that Obama’s ranking by Election Day will be significantly higher than it is now and come close to, match or exceed Kerry’s.
Finally, not a word in the JTA story about the survey’s findings regarding the I-P conflict. Strange that a poll, 95% of whose questions dealt with that subject and 5% of whose questions dealt with presidential candidates focussed laser-like on the latter and ignored the former. But it’s what we’ve come to expect of JTA.
I enthusiastically endorse this statement which concluded the poll summary:
J Street has enormous opportunities to give voice to a Jewish public that holds beliefs and values which are very different from the positions regularly conveyed by many Jewish leaders and organizations.
The J Street poll is yet another indication that the hawkish policy pronouncements of the Israel lobby and specifically AIPAC represent no one but themselves and their members when it comes to the Israeli-Arab conflict. The majority of American Jews don’t go along.
i take it you’ve probably already seen Shmuel Rosner’s take on this poll in Haaretz? Any comments on Rosner’s analysis?
@Alexis: God, I just read Rosner’s comments. Thanks for pointing them out to me. All he can muster is that unnamed polling experts “laughed” at the questions? And the questions were too long? That’s the extent of his critique? Well, in truth there are a few feeble attempts in his piece to deal with substance. But as usual he makes a racket w/o making much sense.
JTA’s coverage, however, is even more noxious and distorted.
Even if “J-street” were able to claim that they represent the views of a majority of American Jewry (which they don’t), they do NOT represent the views of the majority of Americans who are strongly pro-Israel, and these people are non-Jews. As early as the 1850’s and 1860’s, American politicians such as President Lincoln were expressing themselves in favor of the establishment of a Jewish state, and this was at a time when Jewish political power was negligible. Thus, were the majority of American Jewry were to support American pressure on the Israeli government, in a way that endangered Israeli interests and security, far more pro-Israel American voters would oppose it. Thus, as I see it, J-Street is irrelevant regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict.
To tell the truth, the poll results are more to the “Right” than I would have expected, considering just uninformed most American Jews are about what is going on in Israel. Take for example, the one that says 58% say they support Israel giving up the Golan for “peace”. Most Israelis will tell you that that isn’t a true option. If I were to point out to the person being polled that the choice Israel faces is whether to have the Golan without peace with Syria, or to give the Golan to Syrian and still not have peace with her, you will get a different answer. If you ask someone “are you for peace”? you know what the answer will be.
In any event, Richard, aren’t you surprised that ONLY 52% say that Israel should give up Judea/Samaria settlement expansion (considering that few people being polled have ever visited a settlement or know anything about their history), and that a majority opposes outright dividing Jerusalem? So how can J-street claim their positions are the ones that “really” represent American Jewry?
@bar_kochba132:
Actually, I’d say the view you just expressed were far more irrelevant than J Street’s. Because Abe Lincoln supported a Jewish state that means that non Jews would rise up against any American government that decided to pressure Israel to make territorial concessions? What are you smokin’??
@bar_kochba132:
And you’ve gained this insight into prognosticating the future of Israel-Syria relations how???
There were only 2-3 questions on which the answers disappointed me. There were 20 or more for which the answers comforted & reassured me. I’ll take that outcome anyday.
Richard,
Do you really believe for a moment that Israelis really care what American Jews do trying to change policy in the US. We in Israel debate the issues with much more gusto then American Jews could only dream of without being called a traitor. But we debate the issues and policies with the full knowledge that our sons and daughters are risking their lives protecting our country.
We know that there are Jews in America that have feelings for Israel one way or another. But until you “risk” your life and make a stand here all of you will be seen as arm-chair critics or supporters with little weight given to your actions.
@Steve:
Smart ones do, but I guess not every Israeli is smart. Israelis like you who think that U.S. policy has little or not bearing on Israel are foolish. And if you think that American Jews have little or no bearing on that policy you are even more foolish.
I find it amusing that so many Israelis take their own narrow views as emblematic of what all Israelis believe. And this is such a tiresome line of argument which has been dusted off & tricked out in new clothes by so many who find the views of Diaspora Jews inconvenient to them.
It’s true. There are still nearly 20 non-warmongering, non-racist, peace-seeking Jews in Israel.
Maybe they can act as a counterweight to Israel’s latest monster-in-waiting: Netanyahu?
This is a very hate filled and narrow minded bunch of idiots. You are not interested in the truth. You can’t handle the truth. Thank the gods there are only 20 of you alive on this planet.
Rykart’s statement was meant to be deliberately provocative & sure enough, Steve rose to take the bait. I’d say a tad defensively. Any reasonable person would realize there are many non-racist, peace-seeking Jews in Israel–regardless of what Rykart says. Even Rykart prob. concedes that. But he’s certainly correct in the sense that there are not enough of such Israelis–at least not yet.
This isn’t a fishing expedition. You play with peoples lives as a sport. Take a hard look in the mirror and you will see that arm-chair critics are at best not taken too seriously. Critics on the issues are fair game. But to fill a pot full with hatred and call it “meant to be deliberately provocative & sure enough, Steve rose to take the bait.” is a bit sick.
Sorry but I really had hoped your blog would have been a bit more honest and serious in nature. It unfortunately turns out to be just another space full of hot air.
Yeah. We’re hate filled. This, from a citizen of the state that attacks children on their way to school with rocks and clubs, which mercilessly beats journalists for exposing Israel’s sickening, racist crimes against old women, children, anyone who can’t defend himself.
Sure.
We’re the hateful ones.
Go drown yourself, Steve.
@Steve:
No, that would be the IDF soldiers who provoked teenage Palestinian boys armed w. stones to attack them & then killed several of them with live fire as Chris Hedges so memorably memorialized them. That would be playing w. people’s lives as sport.
If arm chair critics aren’t taken seriously that would include you, wouldn’t it?
And I must say that yr criticism cuts to the quick. I simply don’t know how I can go on after such devastating comments as yours. You’ll find much more conducive company at Jewlicious, Israellycool, Little Green Footballs, Atlas Shrugged, Pajamas Media & the like. Sorry we troubled yr complacency here.
@rykart:
You’re banned, Rykart.
What a bunch of losers and sick human beings. Sad state of affairs. Pathetic angry old white men. Bye and may your dreams die for the sake of all humanity.
@Steve:
Oh Steve. You’ve cut me to the quick. How can I ever recover & lead a normal life after being put in my place so??
My dreams of Israeli Palestinian peace will never die. But why so angry, Steve? Is yr version of Judaism so hateful toward yr fellow Jews? Unless, that is, you’ve excommunicated me fr. yr religion.
A child who is abused for an extended period of time will, according to most therapists, later in life look for the same abuse. as a child that is loved unconditionally will look for that same love.
Is it possible for a nation or group of people to act in a similar manner?
The way Jewish citizens of Germany were treated under Hitler was horrific, and inhuman. As many Jews say the scars do not go away, only the infliction of their cause may disappear.
When I look at that kind of suffering I realize that a healing must take place, and that healing goes through denial, anger, and finally to grief. I can attest to this personally.
I do not want to hate Israel as it is insane to hate to begin with, yet as a nation they seem to be in the same position as said abused child. Sometimes the answer seems so simple, there is no avoidance of the process of grief, it is not easy, it is not fun, it is gut wrenching and very personal. This is the process that unavoidable for if it is not followed, the individual will act out of those fears and never be free, yet also may hurt others that they meet.
If God is all powerful then why does God need be defended? God does not me or anyone to defend God, if God did, God would be just as faulty as we are. If I say your God is stupid would you smile at me and say, “that also”, or would you lash out at me trying to protect what needs no protection. To me that is a form of insanity, so I am grateful for Tikun Olam, and J street as they show me that there are Sons and Daughters of Israel that truly seek peace, and will find it one day.
One of my favorite Jews said, “the meek shall inherit the earth.” I just can’t remember his name:)