Chapter Activities - Portland, OR

Brit Tzedek v'Shalom

Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace

New Arab American Institute/Americans for Peace Now Survey:

Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 29, 2004
CONTACT: Jenny Salan/AAI - (202)429-9210
Lewis Roth/APN - (202) 728-1893

New Arab American Institute/Americans for Peace Now Survey:

Jewish Americans and Arab Americans Back Joint Peace Proposal, Support U.S. Engagement in Peace Process
Bush Gets Very Low Marks

Washington, D.C.-The Arab American Institute (AAI) and Americans for Peace Now (APN) today released the results of their joint survey of Arab Americans and Jewish Americans regarding their views on a recently released Israeli-Palestinian joint peace proposal and the desirability of U.S. involvement in the peace process. The poll also asked respondents about their views of President George W. Bush's handling of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The results of their survey revealed strong backing for many of the compromise peace making ideas contained within the Geneva Initiative. The poll also demonstrated strong Arab American and Jewish American support for U.S. engagement in the peace process, but reflected low grades for President Bush's performance with the general issue.

The survey was carried out by Zogby International. Five hundred Jewish Americans were polled from January 12-15, 2004, while five hundred Arab Americans were surveyed from January 9-14, 2004. The margin of error for both samples is +/- 4.5%.

"Our latest survey shows firm support from Jewish Americans and Arab Americans for the Geneva Initiative, support that grows even stronger when people in both communities learn more about the specifics of the document," said Debra DeLee, President and CEO of Americans for Peace Now. "The poll also sends a strong message to the political establishment that, contrary to what some folks say, our communities like candidates who back active U.S. engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and we support an evenhanded American approach to trying to broker an agreement. Finally, our survey indicates that, in the eyes of the two communities that have the deepest interest in seeing a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, President Bush's performance has been lackluster at best."

"President Bush's performance ratings on Middle East peace have declined among both Arab and Jewish Americans. While both our communities want to move forward and would support a candidate who is willing to be more involved, we have yet to see the type of Administration support that is necessary to get the parties back to the table. Since Vietnam, more U.S. lives have been lost and more money spent in this region than in any other. There is domestic support for joint Palestinian and Israeli initiatives. The President should seize this opportunity to breathe life into peace efforts," said AAI President James Zogby.

Questions Related to the Israeli-Palestinian Proposal Known as the Geneva Initiative:

1. Overall, do you strongly support, somewhat support, or not support the Geneva Accords, or are you not familiar enough with the initiative to make a judgment?

The survey found that 42.2% of Arab Americans and 43.2% of Jewish Americans strongly or somewhat support the Israeli-Palestinian joint effort. Just 4.9% of Arab Americans and 8.9% of Jewish Americans said they did not support the initiative. However, a significant segment of both communities (50.5% of Arab Americans and 44.4% of Jewish Americans) said they were not familiar enough with the initiative to make a judgment.

2. The Geneva Accords are an unofficial agreement that calls for: an end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state along side the State of Israel; a joint commitment to security and fighting terrorism; the evacuation of most Israeli settlements; the establishment of a border roughly along the 1967 Green Line; providing a resolution for Palestinian refugees consistent with Israel retaining its sovereignty over its immigration policy; split sovereignty over Jerusalem holy sites; and establishing Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states. Having heard this description, are you now more or less likely to support the Geneva Accords?

Learning details about Geneva pushed up support on both sides, although more so among Arab Americans, while it also significantly increased opposition among a minority of Jewish Americans. Among Jewish Americans, 50.2% said they were more likely to back the initiative, 22.4% said they were less likely, 16.7% said the description made no difference, and 10.7% said they were not sure. Among Arab Americans, 73.5% said they were more likely to support Geneva after hearing a description, 7.9% said they were less likely, 12.6% said it made no difference, and 6% were not sure.

3. Should the Israelis and Palestinians reach a peace agreement, would you support or not support the use of U.S. funds to ensure that the terms of the agreement are met?

Both sides expressed strong support for U.S. financial involvement in helping to implement any future Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Among Arab Americans, 76.4% said they would support U.S. funds being used, 18.1% said they would not support such funding, and 5.6% were not sure. Among Jewish Americans, 83.9% would support the use of U.S. funds for a peace accord, 11.7% would not support it, and 4.3% were not sure.

4. Should the Israelis and Palestinians reach a peace agreement, would you support or not support the use of U.S. peacekeeping forces to ensure that the terms of the agreement are met?

Both communities said they would support the use of American peacekeepers, but not as much as they would support U.S. financial aid. Among Jewish Americans, 61.8% said they would support U.S. peacekeepers, 30.1% said they would not, and 8.1% were not sure. Among Arab Americans, 68.4% expressed support for U.S. peacekeepers, 26.7% said they would not support this use of American forces, and 4.9% were not sure.

Questions Related to the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process & U.S. Politics:

5. Would you be more likely or less likely to support a political candidate who says that the U.S. must be actively engaged in trying to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians?

Responses to this question indicate that members of both communities favor candidates who believe that America should be actively trying to bring peace to Israelis and Palestinians. Among Arab Americans, 72.9% said they would be more likely to support such a candidate, 10.6% would be less likely, 14.6% said it would make no difference to them, and 1.9% were not sure. Among Jewish Americans, 71.6% said they would be more likely to support a candidate who thinks the U.S. should be actively engaged in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, 8.5% would be less likely to support such a candidate, 16.7% said it would make no difference, and 3.1% said they were not sure.

6. Do you think the U.S. needs to be evenhanded in trying to broker an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

Sizeable majorities in both communities take the commonsense view that if the U.S. wants to try to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians, it needs to be fair in its approach to negotiations. Among Arab Americans, 85.1% said the U.S. needs to be evenhanded, 8.4% said it did not, and 6.4% were not sure. Among Jewish Americans, 67.8% think the U.S. needs to be evenhanded, 23.9% do not, and 8.4% were not sure.

7. Generally speaking, how would you rate President George W. Bush's handling of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East?

President Bush got extremely low marks from both sides for his handling of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Among Jewish Americans, just 21.9% gave the President a positive review (4.2% said excellent and 17.7% said good), while 76% rated his performance as negative (37.9% said fair and 38.1% said poor) and 2.2% were not sure. Among Arab Americans, only 22.4% gave President Bush positive feedback (8.9% said excellent and 13.5% said good), while 75.3% gave him negative reviews (20.7% said fair and 54.6% said poor) and 2.3% were not sure.