American Public Opinion Polls: Survey of Jewish Americans and Arab Americans

THINKING ABOUT MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS ISSUES:

In the Geneva Accords, Palestinian refugees would be entitled to compensation for their refugee status and loss of property, as well as a guaranteed right to settle in the new Palestinian state or third countries. In addition, the Geneva Accords would allow Israel to make a sovereign decision about how many refugees, if any, would be allowed to live inside its borders. Do you support or oppose such a formula for addressing the refugee issue? (January 2004)

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? (January 2004)

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? (January 2004)

Do you support or oppose requiring Israelis and Palestinians to cooperate on security matters and to commit themselves to fighting terrorism and violence in the context of an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty? (January 2004)

Do you support or not support the use of outside, international monitors to determine if the terms of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement are kept by both sides? (January 2004)

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? (January 2004)

Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree that Palestinians have a right to live in a secure and independent state of their own?

Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree that Israelis have a right to live in a secure and independent state of their own?

Do you support or oppose the recognition of the right of the Jewish people to statehood and the recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to statehood? (January 12-15, 2004)

Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose the road map to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians as laid out by the Bush Administration? (July 2003)

What needs to be done first in order to ensure the success of the peace plan—A: The Israelis need to start dismantling the settlements and outposts in the West Bank and Gaza and freeze settlement expansion, B: the Palestinians need to declare a ceasefire and stop the suicide bombings, or both Israel and the Palestinians need to take the above steps at the same time? (July 2003)

Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose a freeze on all Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and Gaza? (July 2003)

Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose Israel ending its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza? (July 2003)

Would you support or not support a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians that included the establishment of an independent, secure Palestinian state alongside an independent, secure Israeli state, the evacuation of most settlements from the West Bank and Gaza, the establishment of a border roughly along the June 4, 1967 border, a Palestinian right of return only to inside a new Palestinian state, and establishing Jerusalem as the shared capital of both countries?

If the U.S. is NOT significantly involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, do you agree or disagree that it will be possible for Israelis and Palestinians to reach a peace agreement and implement it on their own? (January 2004)

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? (January 2004)

THE U.S. AND THE MIDDLE EAST:

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? (January 2004)

Do you think the U.S. needs to be evenhanded in trying to broker an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? (January 2004)

How confident are you in the Bush Administration’s commitment to achieve a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? (July 2003)

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

Sources: Americans for Peace Now, Arab American Institute