According to a very reliable poll conducted by the Pro-Peace Jewish activist group J Street, most U.S. Jews stand firmly behind Jimmy Carter’s positions on Israel. Although the survey did not specifically mention Carter, the positions supported by Jewish Americans were largely identical to those Jimmy Carter advocates.
Accusations that Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, along with another critic of Israel’s occupation and colonialism, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, both of whom are great humanitarians, is anti-Semitic can be laid to rest. The notion that criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic has also run its course. Carter remains the moral soul of the Democratic party of which there is no doubt.
Here are some of the more important findings about American Jewish attitudes on America’s role in the Middle East from the survey that J Street commissioned in early July 2008:
America Should be Assertive in Middle East Diplomacy: The survey finds that American Jews strongly support assertive American diplomacy rather than letting the parties work out the conflict on their own. The survey included an extensive exercise, first asking people whether they support the United States playing an active role in helping the parties resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. Initial support for this general statement is 87 percent. Support remained strong even after respondents were asked if they would still support an active role if it meant the U.S. publicly disagreeing with both the Israelis and Arabs or exerting pressure on both parties to make compromises: 75 percent supported public disagreement 70 percent supported the U.S. applying pressure on Israel. “Firm support” – that is, the number of people who supported all three statements – is 66 percent.
American Jews Favor Compromise in Israeli-Arab Negotiations: Jews are very favorably disposed toward the compromises and positions outlined in the 2000 Camp David summit and in other negotiations. Large majorities support negotiating with Israel’s worst enemies (76 percent), withdrawal from the Golan Heights in exchange for full peace like the arrangements with Egypt and Jordan (58 percent) and withdrawal from most of the West Bank (59 percent). Jews overwhelming believe that the Israeli government would not agree to a dangerous peace deal, and 81 percent “will support any agreement the Israelis make with their Arab enemies.”
Pastor Hagee and Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Viewed Very Unfavorably: Pastor Hagee is fairly well-known among Jews (65 percent name identification) and quite disliked (7 percent favorable and 57 percent unfavorable).
Jews are very wary of military action against Iran. When presented with several statements about the Middle East by a Congressional candidate, respondents were most supportive of someone who says talking with Iran is not appeasement and America should pursue direct diplomacy. Statements invoking military action against Iran test poorly throughout the survey. For example, only 26 percent of respondents were much more likely (and 48 percent total more likely) to support a Congressional candidate arguing that America should support Israel if it preemptively strikes Iran.
The 2008 Election: Jews are more supportive of Barack Obama over John McCain (62 to 32 percent) and the Democrats over the Republicans in Congressional races (69 to 27 percent).
Other findings: 78% of Jews support a two state solution, 59% support withdrawal from the West Bank, 56% agree that ongoing settlement activity is an obstacle to peace, 44% approve of East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, and 58% support a withdrawal from the Golan Heights.
From this survey, it is apparent from the opinion of a minority of U.S. Jews, the conservative, right wing types, has counted for more than the opinion of the vast majority of American Jews. Because the dialogue about Middle East peace in the US has been usurped by these supporters of right wing Zionism (AIPAC, ZOA, AJC, ADL), these poll results defy conventional wisdom. American Jews overwhelmingly support aggressive US leadership in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as diplomacy in dealing with Iran. And they strongly oppose any alliance with the Christian Zionists and Rev. John Hagee, a strong ally of John McCain, Joe Lieberman, the Likud party, and the Neocons.
According to Jim Gerstein, who conducted the survey, “results are very eye opening. When presented with both sides of the debate over U.S policy in the Middle East, American Jews strongly favor the United States using its leverage to help resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. Instead of holding the hawkish, hard-line positions often expressed by many established Jewish organizations and leaders, American Jews actually overwhelmingly support assertive peace efforts and an active U.S. role in helping Israelis and Palestinians to resolve their conflict.
This statement by Jeremy Ben-Ami, J Street’s executive director, was particularly interesting.
American elected officials and politicians have for years fundamentally misread the American Jewish community, not only in setting American policy but in charting their political approach to the Jewish community, America’s political leaders need to look beyond the loudest voices from the community to the opinions actually held by the broad majority of American Jews. Understanding this dynamic could help shift not only American policy, but dramatically affect the chances for peace and security for Israel and the Middle East.
Although this survey contained language that implied certain pro-Israel positions, failed to address the Israel’s Jim Crow laws that render Palestinian Israelis second class citizenship, repeated the contradictory notion of Israel as “a Jewish and democratic state” (25% of Israel’s citizens are non-Jewish), and avoided the term “Palestinian” in preference for “Arab,” it nonetheless provided a more popular basis for addressing American foreign policy in the Middle East. American politicians should take heed.