Poll: Americans justify Gaza operation
Some 45 percent of Americans believe Palestinians to blame for current escalation in Strip, compared to 15 percent who point finger at Israel, survey conducted by pro-Israeli organization reveals
WASHINGTON - According to a recent survey, American public opinion remains solidly behind Israel: As long as Palestinians don't release Gilad Shalit and continue to launch Qassam rockets at Israeli population centers, Americans support the IDF operations in the Gaza strip, a new poll revealed.
The survey, initiated by The Israel Project, a group intent on improving the perception and portrayal of Israel in the American media, reveals that Americans oppose a capitulation to the current Palestinian demands.
Almost half of the American's surveyed (45 percent) blame the Palestinians for the current crisis escalation, while only 15 percent lay the blame with the Israeli administration. Unrelated to their opinions on this particular matter, 54 percent identified themselves as pro-Israeli, while only 8 percent identified themselves as pro-Palestinian.
In response to the question "what should Israel do if Palestinians keep launching Qassams on civilian population centers?" 61 percent of those surveyed said that it behooves Israel to defend its citizens, even if this means taking military actions in Palestinian territory. Some 21 percent answered that Israel needs to show restraint and use diplomatic recourse.
'US should side with Israel'
Answers to an additional question in the survey – "how should Israel respond to Palestinian demands to release a thousand Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the kidnapped soldier?" – reveal that 52 percent think that Israel should intensify military pressure, while only 17 percent think that Israel should agree to the demands.
Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a whole, 40 percent of those surveyed thought that the US should side with Israel, while only 5 percent thought that the US should support the Palestinian regime. 43 percent said that they prefer the US stay neutral.
Additionally, survey participants were asked if they follow the news regarding the conflict in the Middle East. Some 64 percent said that they follow reports of Qassam launchings and news regarding the kidnapped soldier, as opposed to 19 percent who said that they also follow other activities in the Middle East. Only 17 percent said that they are not interested in the issue.
