More than 40 percent of the American people believe Israel is a threat to world peace, according to a poll presented Wednesday by a Jewish group. The Anti-Defamation League said its survey showed that 43 percent of Americans believe Israel is a threat to world peace, placing it behind seven other countries (including Iraq, Iran, North Korea and the USA itself).
The nationwide poll of 1,200 American adults was conducted December 1- 4, 2003, by the Boston-based research firm, the Marttila Communications Group.
When asked, "In the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians which side do you sympathize with more?" 40% said Israel, 15% said the Palestinians, 11% said both and 24% said neither.
When asked, "Who do you think is more responsible for the current violence in the Middle East: the Israelis or the Palestinians?" 39% blamed the Palestinians, 16% blamed the Israelis, 27% said both, and 6% said neither.
When asked, "How serious is Israel about wanting to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians?" 70% said they believed Israel was serious (25% very serious plus 45% somewhat serious), 30% not serious. The same question asked about the Palestinians, showed that only 46% believed they were serious, while 43% found them not serious about reaching a peace agreement with Israel.
When asked about how they feel about Ariel Sharon, 42% said that the Israelis and their leader are genuinely interested in reaching a long term peace agreement; 36% thought the real goal of Sharon and Israel is to squeeze the Palestinians into the smallest territory possible. The similar questions asked about the Palestinians and Yasser Arafat showed that 25% felt they were genuinely interested in reaching peace, while 57% believe the real goal of Arafat and the Palestinian leadership is to destroy Israel.
