Page 1S-THE NEWS-March, 1986
AIPAC Papers Find Americans Support Israel By Wide Margin
In a study analyzing three
decades of American pubiic
opinion toward Israel, the
American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC) has
found that ‘‘support for Israel
over the Arab nations is one
foreign policy issue on which
there has been a wide consen
sus in the United States for
over 30 years. Americans have
consistently favored Israel by
margins of four and five-to-
one.” Furthermore, claims
AIPAC, “Israel is now
substantially more popular
than it was at the time of the
Camp David breakthrough in
1978.”
The study, entitled How
Americans Feel About Israel,
assembles, for the first time in
one place, Gallup, Roper, Har
ris, and other polls, giving con
clusive evidence of the
American public’s exceptional
ly strong feelings for Israel.
The poll data is categorized
by demographic group and by
specific issue. The results are
striking and they are consis
tent. Writes AIPAC, "majori
ty support for Israel comes
from every region of the coun-
try» from women as well as
men, from Catholics as well as
Protestants, and from all
other social groups.”
One of the monograph’s
more surprising findings deals
^ith Black Americans. A re
cent Washington Post/ABC
News Poll reveals that this
group supports Israel over the
Arab nations by a margin of
three-to-one. Moreover, 16 out
of 21 members of the Black
Congressional Caucus (an even
higher percentage than their
white colleagues), have con
sistently voted for foreign aid
to Israel and against major
arms sales to those Arab na
tions still not at peace with
Israel.
Nor is Israel a partisan
issue. According to AIPAC,
Democratic and Republican
support for Israel averages
four-to-one, and in more recent
polls. Republicans have been
more supportive than
Democrats.
The study also reports that,
contrary to a widespread
misconception, young people
actually have stronger feelings
for Israel than their elders,
and support for the Jewish
state among 18 to 24-year-olds
has increased over the past
decade. This phenomenon can
be explained by the greater
number of people completing
high school and coUege in the
United States, because the
more educated citizens
become, the more supportive
of Israel they are.
Beyond general sympathy
for Israel, the study finds that
Americans also adopt pro-
Israel positions on a wide,
variety of specific issues. On
the question of U.S. arms sales
to Arab countries still at war
with Israel, “virtually all
polls...show clear majority op
position to such sales.” In
1978, the public was opposed
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to the sale of 60 F-15 fighter
planes to Saudi Arabia by an
average of four-to-one; in 1981,
opposed the sale of AW ACS
to Saudi Arabia by two-to-one;
and in 1982, opposed selling
anti-aircraft missiles to Jordan
by more than three-to-one.
In regard to the disposition
of territories administered by
Israel since 1967, AIPAC
finds that “majorities of
Americans since 1967 have
favored Israel holding on to all
or part of the lands it acquired
in the Six-Day War”: twenty-
two percent prefer that Israel
hold on to all the land; 54 per
cent propose that Israel retain
terrority important to its
security but return the rest;
and only 9 percent believe that
Israel should return all the
l£Uld.
The study also reports that
by a wide margin, Americans
believe that Israel is a more
reliable ally than any other
country in the Middle East.
By more than three-to-one,
Americans support the cur
rent level of aid to Israel or
believe it should be increased.
And, the PLO is seen by a ma
jority of Americans as “part of
a world-wide terror group who
hijack planes, kidnap people,
and are intemationsd out
laws,” and therefore do not
deserve recognition by the
United States.
Overall, the support of the
American people for Israel is
wide and deep. The reasons for
this support lie in the fact that
Israel is a sister democracy
and the one reliable ally
American can count on in the
region. Furthermore, the
public sympathizes with
Israel’s struggle against ag
gression by radical Arab
states and inherently supports
the idea of a Jewish homeland.
“For all these reasons,” con
cludes AIPAC, “support for
Israel is one of the most con
sistent features of the
American consensus of
foreign policy. It is a value
that the American people are
unlikely to surrender.”
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The American Israel Public
Affairs Committee is the only
American organization
registered to lobby Congress
on legislation affecting Israel.
It is supported by private
donations from more than
50,000 members in all fifty
states.
How Americans Feel About
Israel is the tenth in a series of
“AIPAC Papers” analyzing
v£u*ious aspects of the U.S.-
Israel relationship. For more
information, write or call the
American Israel Public Affairs
Committee, 444 North Capitol
Street, N.W., Suite 412,
Washington, D.C. 20001, (202)
638-2256.
Academy Gala
cont’d from p. 1
mansions,” notes Richard,
“especially in the arches and
spiral staircases.”
Charlene loves Morrocroft
because the house, with its
hand-crafted detailing and
cozy nooks, makes her feel like
she’s living in Europe. The
Muller family, which includes
sons David and Adam and
daughter Sloane, a fourth
grader at the Hebrew
Academy, became acclimated
to the size of Morrocroft dur
ing the nine months of fixing
it up before moving in. Still,
admits Charlene, “It’s
sometimes hard to find
everyone for dinner.”
In the past four years, the
Mullers have been decorating
Morrocroft with antiques,
handmade rugs and mementos
collected during their exten
sive travels. Other changes in
clude a new billard room, once
an office, complete with a
1930s inlaid mahogany table
and an adapted gas light. The
Mullers are also building a
sauna and exercise room in the
basement.
Patron’s tickets for the gala
are $125 a couple emd can be
obtained by writing Florence
Widis, 5238 Seacroft Road,
Charlotte, NC, 28210. Her
phone is 525-3957. Checks
should be made out to the
North Carolina Hebrew
Academy.
General chairperson of the
1985 gala is Patti Weisman.
Peggy Gartner is in charge of
food; Florence Widis, reserva
tions; Charlene Muller and
Marilyn Cohen, invitations;
and Saul Brenner, publicity.
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