According to the Jerusalem Post, an ADL poll reveals the extent of US support for Israel.
Forty percent of Americans sympathize with Israel in the dispute between Israeli and the Palestinians whereas only 15% sympathize with Palestinians. 39% of those surveyed consider the Palestinians to be responsible for the current violence in the Middle East and only 16% blame the Israelis.42% said that the Israelis and their leader Ariel Sharon are genuinely interested in reaching a long term peace agreement and 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 Yasir Arafat showed that 25% felt the Palestinians were interested in reaching peace while 57% believe the real goal of Arafat and the Palestinians is to destroy Israel.
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The survey also showed that an overwhelming 75% majority of Americans believe that the US has a special relationship with Israel because of the shared values, including commitment to freedom and democracy. “Based on shared values of freedom and democracy, the US has a moral obligation to fight for peace through its foreign policy. And Americans, who hold democracy dear to them, have very positive views on the USñIsraeli relationship. They understand that Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East and a strong ally of the US,” stated Foxman.
Besides the “shared values” argument, perhaps another reason for the pro-Israel stance of much of the American public is due to the fact that they are sick of reading things like this:
IN AN EDITORIAL, THE PA DAILY AL-MANAR PRINTED A SCATHING ATTACK ON PRESIDENT BUSH, CALLING HIM ‘A STUPID WILD ANIMAL’ WHO MUST BE STOPPED BEFORE ADDITIONAL GREAT DISASTERS OCCUR. (AL-MANAR, PA, 12/17/03)
And perhaps these results are partly due to the scores of fine pro-Israel sites out there, many of which are located on my blogroll to the left.
