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Do U.S. Jews really support 'necessary compromises' for peace?
By Shmuel Rosner, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: American Jews, peace process 
J Street poll reveals that 55% of American Jews see Mideast peace as 'core' U.S. interest.

Can you imagine a J Street poll suggesting that most American Jews oppose a vigorous Israeli-Palestinian peace process? Can you imagine such a poll asserting that American Jews oppose any American pressure on Israel to make compromises?

If you can't, this is your lucky day. J Street just released a public opinion pollwith no such surprises. Not if you read the press releases accompanying it. American Jews, the poll says, want peace, readily support American pressure, and believe that Middle East peace is "a core American interest" (55 percent).

Case closed: American Jews support the J Street agenda.
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Or do they?

Let's take a look at a couple of interesting numbers from this poll:

1.

J Street's press release reads the following: "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 Arabs to resolve their conflict? American elected officials and politicians have for years fundamentally misread the American Jewish community," said Jeremy Ben-Ami, J Street?s executive director in the press release.

But here's what the poll says: More people agree that "established" and "traditional" Jewish organizations represent their views than the number of people who say such organizations do not represent them. Even when AIPAC - supposedly the great Satan - is mentioned by name, more people (34 percent) believe it accurately represents their views than those (23 percent) who don't. The 40 percent who do not have an opinion also represent a group that can hardly be considered "fundamentally misread."

2.

J Street opposes military action against Iran, "a terrible option for the U.S., regional stability, and for Israel." But American Jews will be more likely than not to vote for a Congressional candidate who believes that "America must do everything it can to protect Israel's security. This means militarily attacking Iran if they pursue a nuclear weapons program, supporting an Israeli pre-emptive strike against Iran, cutting off aid to the Palestinians if their schools allow textbooks that don't recognize Israel, and letting the Palestinians know where we stand on Jerusalem by moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem."

Indeed, there's still a significant minority (41 percent) of people less likely to vote for such a candidate. Even more people will support someone encouraging talks with Iran. But here comes the funny part: the way this poll was devised - presumably with great care - it's impossible to know whether the "less likely" lot who opposes such a statement do so because they oppose attacking Iran, or because they object to a more firm stance vis-à-vis the Palestinians. By the way, a reliable answer to such question can be found here. It is quite clear: do not attack. But we don't need J Street to tell us that.

3.

My friends at the Orthodox Union (I have friends all around town) were quick to note, that J Street's PR for their poll conveniently omits mention of its findings on an issue we feel is of the utmost importance - the indivisibility of Jerusalem. Even among their respondents - who support 'assertive peace efforts and an active U.S. role' (i.e. pressure) and withdrawal from the West Bank - a majority do NOT believe Jerusalem should be re-divided with its eastern neighborhoods becoming part of a Palestinian state."

While that is correct, it is only half the story. People who support "the United States exerting pressure on both the Israelis and Arabs to make the compromises necessary to achieve peace" - (81 percent) - but oppose the possibility of "neighborhoods in East Jerusalem" becoming part of a Palestinian state just don't know what they're talking about.

Either that, or the "compromises necessary to achieve peace" they envision are totally different from those supported by J Street.

4.

The way this poll was conducted is quite bizarre. I called poll-masters that I trust and read for them some of the questions. It made them laugh. Take this one for example, and imagine the email signaling that someone wants to ask you a question: Do you agree to this very, very, very long statement?

"I am 'pro-Israel,' and believe that America must consistently support our trusted ally Israel. Part of that support should be helping to promote serious efforts to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace because ending the conflict is vital to Israel's future and security. I disagree with American politicians who make statements, such as demanding we move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, that sound supportive of Israel and make vocal activists happy, yet really undermine both peace efforts and America's role as a mediator. I will always work to maintain the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel, and I support policies that help Israel achieve an enduring peace."

Chances are that you:

A. Stopped reading somewhere in the middle and just wrote yes.
B. Stopped reading somewhere in the middle, regained consciousness at the end, read the final sentence ("I support policies that help Israel achieve an enduring peace"), then wrote yes. Of course you support Israel, duh!

In short, this seems like a good way to ask a question if you want 71 percent to respond yes. Look at all the very long statements in this poll and see for yourself. With barely one exception, the longer the statement, the better the chances that people say yes.

5.

"Jews firmly remain a very progressive Democratic constituency," say the good people of J Street, but as my friends at JTA have noted in their story: "American Jews are less supportive of Barack Obama than previous Democratic nominees."

Actually, this is not even new. I thought the more intriguing was the percentage of Jews disapproving of Senator Joe Lieberman, a Jewish American politician that set a historic precedent: 48 percent.
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  1.   Who cares about what a few thousand Yanks think 16:32  |  POP 17/07/08
  2.   Pop 17:05  |  Carter 17/07/08
  3.   #1 17:16  |  Ray 17/07/08
  4.   Shmuel Obviouly thinks the readers are dumb 17:18  |  smarter then shmuel 17/07/08
  5.   Disgusting 17:31  |  MB 17/07/08
  6.   Disgusting 17:31  |  MB 17/07/08
  7.   "POLL" 17:52  |  ANA STONE 17/07/08
  8.   Peace processes 18:04  |  Rebell 17/07/08
  9.   to ana stone 18:06  |  jihad 17/07/08
  10.   I am not sure what Rosner wants to prove but - 19:17  |  S 17/07/08
  11.   100% of American Jews are morons, and 55% of them 19:18  |  Sal 17/07/08
  12.   While bring peace to this region and ending the Arab Israeli 19:26  |  Eran 17/07/08
  13.   Mideast peace 19:47  |  David Guard 17/07/08
  14.   Crusading Islamist-Jihadism 20:00  |  Brod 17/07/08
  15.   Quite right. 20:02  |  Colin Wright 17/07/08
  16.   AIPAC isn`t really the Great Satan 20:08  |  Colin Wright 17/07/08
  17.   J Street? Why not Main St? 20:17  |  Hana 17/07/08
  18.   More Israelis support peace 20:20  |  Dave Duncan 17/07/08
  19.   J street poll 21:31  |  james phillips 17/07/08
  20.   Peace 22:08  |  S. S. 17/07/08
  21.   Re: MB #5 22:17  |  Czarkazem13 17/07/08
  22.   Dave #17 22:23  |  Brod 17/07/08
  23.   Peace 01:24  |  Jane 18/07/08
  24.   JSTREET is a leftwing group 03:24  |  Joe Klien 18/07/08
  25.   Czarkazem13 yes and no 03:31  |  American in NY 18/07/08
  26.   J Street ? What Does the J stand for Jerk ? 03:37  |  Tod zuckerman 18/07/08
  27.   To Tell You The Truth Rosner... 05:23  |  Yosemite 18/07/08
  28.   Reply to Hana (Post No. 16) 05:34  |  Johnny Weintraub 18/07/08
  29.   Will U.S. blow Israel Up? 10:13  |  Paul Easton 18/07/08
  30.   American in NY 22:01  |  Czarkazem13 18/07/08
  31.   Czarkazem13 03:26  |  American in NY 19/07/08
  32.   J Street 03:26  |  Geoff 19/07/08
  33.   Welfare Nation.... 05:52  |  Gray 19/07/08
  34.   TAKES "GUTS".... 18:12  |  Jane Doe 19/07/08
  35.   Israel can`t possibly survive 00:04  |  John 20/07/08
  36.   Statecraft does require "guts", but . . . 02:34  |  Geoff 20/07/08
  37.   J for Judas 08:20  |  Arik 20/07/08
  38.   Giving back what was stolen is no compromise 14:23  |  John 20/07/08
  39.   Jews DO remain a very progressive Democratic constituency 22:29  |  Richter 20/07/08
  40.   Nobody ever asked me or anybody I know what we think 02:37  |  Terry 21/07/08
  41.   US Jews 05:48  |  Leo Rosenfeld 21/07/08
  42.   Israel`s survival 01:13  |  VICTIMSofARAB TERROR 03/08/08
  43.   American in NY #25 21:33  |  Czarkazem13 02/04/09
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