The results of the AJC’s 2009 annual survey of American Jewish political opinion (full survey) are a mixed bag that shows Jews to be eminently pragmatic on some issues and living in a fantasy world on others. In terms of fantasy land, 81% believe that U.S. relations with Israel are positive. This in the midst of one of the most friction-filled periods in bilateral relations in a decade or more. 59% approve of Bibi Netanyahu’s approach to relations with the U.S. This is the guy who’s stone-walling the American president on a settlement freeze and unwilling to enter into final status negotiations with the Palestinians, all policies advocated by the U.S. president. While 54% of American Jews approve of Obama’s approach to Israel, only 41% approve of the centerpiece of his policy toward Israel, a settlement freeze. I don’t know whether that means Jews are schizoid or refuse to understand clearly the issues.
I note that the survey question about the freeze mischaracterizes U.S. policy, as it asks whether respondents agree with U.S. policy which calls for stopping “new” construction. In reality, our government’s policy calls for stopping ALL construction whether new or existing. It is the Israelis who have proposed only stopping new construction and this issue has not yet been agreed upon mutually.
According to the survey, 58% believe Jerusalem should not be shared with the Palestinians, which of course would mean that there could be no peace agreement. 75% of Jews believe the wacky, racist and inaccurate claim that Palestinians ultimate goal is to destroy Israel. This to me indicates that the propaganda of Israel lobby groups like ZOA and even the AJC itself can be quite effective in distorting the Palestinian reality: polls of Palestinian opinion and statements by most Palestinian leaders totally disprove this statement.
Nearly 80% of Jews believe Israel can never come to an agreement with a Hamas-led government. Which flies in the face of a much more pragmatic approach by Israelis who believe, according to polls, that their government should sit down and talk to Hamas (even though they recognize it is an implacable foe of Israel).
In light of current world affairs, most troubling are the results approving a military attack on Iran: 56% approve a U.S. attack and 66% support an Israeli attack. In this, of course, American Jews have drunk the Kool-Aid offered by the Israel lobby and Israeli government, which has orchestrated an effective full-court press in this country to portray Iran as a nation composed of mad mullahs gunning not just for Israel, but the entire Jewish people (Bibi expressed precisely this claim). This result points out how much work Jewish progressives have to do on this issue.
Which is why a coalition of local Jewish, Iranian-American and peace groups will be hosting a conference in December here in Seattle presenting a pragmatic approach to resolving the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. I’m eager to enlist financial support from readers and anyone else interested in preventing military conflict in the Middle East. Please consider a donation (via the Paypal button) to defray the costs of the conference if you haven’t already done so.
One question was thrown in as a sop to Bibi Netanyahu, as it’s one of his signature conditions used against the Palestinians whenever he wants to shirk his responsibility to negotiate. It asks whether Palestinians should be required to recognize Israel as a Jewish state as part of a final peace agreement. This of course is an entirely irrelevant issue since no Palestinian government will ever recognize Israel as a JEWISH state (as opposed to recognizing it as a state, which it will be required to do). 94% agree with this condition, which indicates how completely out of touch the respondents are with Palestinians, and even Israel itself.
By this I mean that American Jews don’t seem to understand what the nature of a Jewish state is. They seem to think it’s akin to motherhood and apple pie. They have no idea what implications this has for the relationship between Israeli Jews and its Palestinian-Arab citizens. I would love to see a question in a future poll asking if there was a conflict between Israel being a democracy or a state in which Jewish religion and values predominate, which one would they prefer. That answer would be instructive.
There were, of course, reassuring responses to polling questions which should be noted. 54% approve of the president’s handling of relations with Israel. A plurality of 49% continues to favor a two-state solution. 60% believe that Israel should dismantle some or all of the settlements in return for peace. 49% approve of Obama’s handling of relations with Iran. These are of course, important results which shouldn’t be minimized.
Fully 30% of Jews feel either fairly or very distant to Israel. In the light of the Gaza war last January, I’d have thought the number would’ve inched up, but it didn’t.
Richard, I think videos like these are enormously effective.
I received the link two days ago with the mail-header:
A brief film well worth seeing often.
The very, very best to the Jewish-Iranian peace conference in beautiful Seattle. (Hmm? I’ll never forget the fresh salmon caught in the night before. Really unforgettably delicious.)
The question whether anyone should recognise Israel as a Jewish state continues to be a red herring. How and if a state defines itself along ethnic or religious lines is its own internal affair and has no bearing on diplomatic recognition by other states. It’s a question of the respective state’s politics (which people and foreign governments may like or dislike, of course), not of a certain entity being a state or not in the first place, or entitled to recognition as such. Harry Truman thought so as well, recognising the new State of Israel and explicitly not the Jewish State of Israel.
I don’t find Obama’s handling of relations with Iran particularly reassuring, all the more considering the recent melodramatic outrage over the Qom facility. Sure, compared to the previous administration he cannot but shine, but is that the yardstick you’d happily use?
Wrapped in conciliatory language there’s still the same old carrot-and-stick approach, as hypocritically inconsistent as ever – just compare the handling of Iran with that of North Korea, for example.
I find Obama’s handling of relations with Iran deeply alarming. I have the same feeling in the pit of my stomach that was planted there on September 11 when within hours of the attacks on the twin towers the administration began beating the Iraq war drums. This time the lump in the pit of my stomach has started out about the size it was in late 2002.
You think Obama shines by comparison to the previous administration? When it comes to Iran, I would say not at all. I would say it is a repeat performance, same whipping up of hysteria over a manufactured crisis, same obscuring of mitigating facts and context (how many Americans are even aware that Iran had already reported the facility and invited inspectors in when Obama made his big scary announcement?), same eager complicity by the media, including “progressives” like Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow. I wonder whether the Obama administration have even hired the same P.R. firms to help them sell their agenda to the public. One difference is the open public inclusion of Israel in the project.
I have the same sense I had beginning on September 11, 2000 that the die is cast, the decisions have been made, and all that is needed now is a convincing pretext, and that’s what they’re building now. The fact that Obama can do it with an eloquent tongue and an appealing smile is not relevant.
I reluctantly have to agree. I’ve been on the Obama band-wagon for some time now (it already seems like he’s been President forever) and have given him 2nd, 3rd, 4th chances, benefits of the doubt galore, and at some point you have to throw up your hands and say ‘enough’!
When I saw Bush III (known in some circles by the alias ‘Barack Obama’) up there with with that snivelling Gallic lightweight Sarkozy and Gordon ‘Tony’ Brown ‘Blair’ blustering so dishonestly about Iran, it hit me how truly pathetic and morally vacant the West has become. The intellectual dishonesty and brazen-ness was breath-taking. And you’re right, there’s no difference between this claptrap and Rummy, Dick, Colon and Bush-wax up there lying through their teeth to the world in the name of war and slaughter. We are a very bad joke.
So let’s the change the record, pleaase, the one we’re (re-)playing is incredibly destructive toward human life and dignity. Where does this intense hatred toward Arabs and Persians come from, this desire to destroy, harm, kill?
I’ve had it with Obama, he’s shown time again his contempt toward the progressives who elected him, he’s obviously very at home with the neo-liberal policies that are gutting the world as well as ordinary Americans, he’s obviously at home with American militarism and belligerence. I used to think Geithner and Summers et al. were a sort of ‘keep your enemies closer’ Lincoln/FDR move by O, alas no, I’ve come to see he’s swallowed the gospel of St. Friedman whole, the neo-liberal Kool-Aid that is an organic complement to our imperial mayhem and murder.
If all this is still in ‘pilot’ stage, we better cancel pretty quick, the upcoming sequel Iraq War III ‘the Iran Excursion’ seems to be in the offing and won’t be pretty. We’ve got to stop this madness. I know now I can’t vote for Obama again, he’s crossed a basic line (and that’s a very painful realization—I had sadly bought the farm).
As for your statistics concerning American Jewish opinion, Richard, very depressing. I’ve felt for a while now that fundamental change on this issue will only come when a substantial portion of the rest of America wakes up and finally says “NO”. No to our Israel policy and no to our general foreign policy which is so intimately tied to the former (at least regarding the Middle East). More Americans are going to HAVE to brave the gauntlet of moral intimidation/blackmail regarding this issue and the ever present floating threat of the ‘anti-Semite’ accusation (and the stigma that ‘label’ brings), and make the choice to speak up regarding Israel and our deeply immoral Middle East policies.
Warren-when do you think this “awakening” is going to occur? American support for Israel and Zionism long pre-date the Holocaust. Significant support for Zionism in the US started in the 1830’s and 1840’s, long before there was any sort of “Jewish lobby” or “Jewish vote in the US”. American public opinon is solidly sympathetic to Israel, and not sypathetic to the Palestinians. Israel is viewed by most Americans as a solid ally and the Palestinians as being aligned with America’s enemies. Thus, J-Street’s efforts notwithstanding, there will be no signficant shift in America’s pro-Israel stance, both among the public and in Congress and the Administration. Obama is beginning to realize this and is now moving towards more traditional American positions regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict after initially trying to distance himself from them.
The interesting question is “why is American Jewish public opinion like this?” Why don’t most American Jews see things the way you “progressives” do?
First, you’re essentially ripping off Michael Oren. Second there was no such thing as “Zionism” in the 1830s or 40s.
American public opinion favors a balanced approach to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. It favors a 2 state solution. It favors a sharing of Jerusalem w. the city the capital of 2 states. It favors a settlement freeze. So much for yr broad brush approach & true as far as they go (which isn’t far) claims.
It is a lie to say that Americans view Palestinians as America’s enemies. Such lies are a violation of my comment policy & further such statements may cause your privileges to be suspended or revoked.
To all my readers, this is the guy who predicted w. as much confidence a victory by John McCain in the last presidential election. There already HAS been a sea change in U.S. policy toward Israel and this will likely continue despite wrinkles & disappointments along the way.
On many issues American Jews DO see things the way I do & not the way you do. Most Jews support a 2 state solution. You don’t. Most Jews support withdrawal from settlements. You don’t. Why is that?
Looking over my comment, I noticed I employed the terms ‘Kool-Aid’ and ‘organic’ in the same sentence, ahh, language can be so unwittingly amusing. I don’t know if that’s a contradiction on my part or a form of linguistic schizophrenia. Anyhoo, got too colorfully wound up in my own outrage, I suppose. Now ‘organic Kool-Aid’, how about that as a product concept? Any takers?
One could fittingly sell it to the phony liberal ‘hippie’ contingent, if there is one, at the upcoming Stand With Us for Iranian Freedom (i.e. let’s bomb the hell out of Iran and kill a lot of people) conference.
Amazing what Israel can get the American Jewish community to swallow when it asks every rabbi to deliver a hate drash on the holiest day of the year.
Here’s the question that the AJC needs to ask:
“Would you want to live in a country in which you were treated as Israel treats the Palestinians?”