By an 8 to 1 Margin, Americans Say U.S. Should Side
with Israel in Conflict with the Palestinians
TIP President Available for Interviews on U.S.-Israel Relationship
February National Survey (PDF)
PowerPoint Presentation
Key Findings from The Israel Project's Poll on Iran, Israel:
- 73 percent of respondents support expanding sanctions against Iran.
- 7 in 10 Americans agree that “even with all the problems America faces at home now, we must still work hard to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
- By an 8 to 1 margin, Americans say U.S. should side with Israel in conflict with the Palestinians.
Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan poll (PDF) commissioned by The Israel Project (TIP) underscores America’s committment to Israel. The poll found that Americans continue to overwhelmingly support Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians. Fully 57 percent of respondents believe the United States should take Israel’s side in the conflict; only 7 percent think the United States should back the Palestinians.
Asked why they side with Israel, many respondents noted the country’s democratic government. “I support Israel because they have democracy, not oligarchy or dictatorship. They are one of the few who have democracy in the Middle East,” one respondent said. Many others noted that Israel is an ally of the United States.
Said Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, founder and president of The Israel Project, “It’s important to know that U.S. voters care so deeply about Israel.”
Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg, Ph.D. of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research said, “In this era of partisan politics and polarization, there are at least two issues that continue to unite Democrats, Republicans and independents: stopping the threat of Iran and maintaining U.S. support for Israel.”
The poll also showed continued concern with Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. About 7 of 10 Americans who voted in 2008 agree that “even with all the problems America faces at home now, we must still work hard to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons,” and almost three-quarters support expanding international economic and diplomatic sanctions against Iran.
Said Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies, the Republican partner of TIP’s bi-partisan polling team, “While Republicans and Democrats see eye-to-eye on very few issues in the current political environment, they overwhelming agree with expanding economic sanctions against Iran, with more than 70 percent of both Republicans and Democrats agreeing.”
The surveys were conducted jointly by Public Opinion Strategies (POS) and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research Feb 20-24, 2010 with 1,001 respondents who voted in 2008 U.S. elections. The margin of error is +/- 3.2 percent.
Expert Sources Available for Interview
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
Affiliation: Founder and President of The Israel Project
Tel.: 202-857-6644 (Office); 202-365-0787 (Cell)
E-mail: jenniferm@theisraelproject.org
Web site: http://www.theisraelproject.org
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi is the founder and president of The Israel Project (TIP), an international non-profit organization devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel while promoting security, freedom and peace. TIP has offices in Washington, D.C., and Jerusalem.
Mizrahi meets regularly with top Israeli leaders such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, Ambassador Michael Oren, Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon and many others. She also works frequently with pro-Israel organizations including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Jewish federations, Jewish community relations councils and Hillel organizations.
Mizrahi previously served as a foreign affairs legislative assistant to the U.S. Congress. She studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and has degrees in International Relations and Judaic Studies from Emory University. Her work earned her recognition as a "Point of Light" by President H. W. Bush. Mizrahi also has been honored with the Louis D. Brandeis Award by the Baltimore Zionist District. The Forward newspaper has twice listed Mizrahi in its "Forward 50" most influential Jews in America. Mizrahi was recently named to the March of the Living’s newly established advisory board and completed close to a decade as the volunteer campaign chair for UJC in Anne Arundel County.
Prior to starting The Israel Project, Mizrahi was the founder and president of Laszlo & Associates, Inc., a strategic communications and public policy company. Mizrahi has worked on projects with the White House, President Clinton, Vice President Gore and dozens of U.S. Senators. For six years Mizrahi published a weekly column on public policy in The Daily Record in North Carolina. Mizrahi has been interviewed on One on One with John McLaughlin, CNN, CNBC, FOX, MSNBC and C-SPAN. She has been quoted in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Washington Times, Newsweek, The Economist, People and Investor's Business Daily. She also has been profiled in The Washington Post, Working Woman, the Jewish Times, The Jewish Press, Lifestyles, The Capitol, Hadassah, Washington Jewish Week, Jewish Sages and other publications.
David Makovsky
Affiliation: Senior Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Tel.: 202-452-0650
E-mail: davidm@washingtoninstitute.org
David Makovsky is a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he focuses on Arab-Israel relations and US foreign policy to the Middle East. He is an award-winning journalist who has covered the Middle East peace process since 1989. Mr. Makovsky is the former executive editor of the Jerusalem Post, serving as diplomatic correspondent. In addition, he was the diplomatic correspondent for Israel's leading daily Ha'aretz (1997-99) and had primary responsibility at both newspapers for covering the peace process. He also served as the US News special Jerusalem correspondent for twelve years.
Congressman Brad Sherman
Affiliation: U.S. Congressman, Subcommittee for International Terrorism and Nonproliferation
Tel.: 202-225-5911
Web site: www.house.gov/sherman/about/
Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) is the Chairman on the Subcommittee for International Terrorism and Nonproliferation and is on The Israel Project's board of advisors. He supports American solidarity with Israel in its efforts against terrorism. He has repeatedly expressed his support for Israel on the floor of Congress and in his work.
Mitch Bard
Affiliation: Executive Director, American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise
Tel.: 301-565-3918
E-mail: mgbard@aol.com
Web site: www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
Mitch Bard is the Executive Director of the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise and a foreign policy analyst who lectures frequently on U.S. - Middle East policy. He also serves as the director of the Jewish Virtual Library. He previously worked as the editor of The Near East Report and as a senior analyst in the polling division of the 1988 Bush campaign.
Itamar Marcus
Affiliation: Director, Palestinian Media Watch
Tel.: 02-625-4140 (Office); 050-528-4907 (Cell)
E-mail: itamar@pmw.org.il
Itamar Marcus is one of the founders of Palestinian Media Watch, Marcus is the current director. Mr. Marcus was also the Director of Research for the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace from 1998 - 2000, writing studies on Palestinian, Jordanian, and Syrian school textbooks. Mr. Marcus was a member of the Israeli delegation to the Trilateral Committee to Monitor Incitement established under the Wye Accords.
Nonie Darwish
Affiliation: Founder and President, ArabsForIsrael.org
E-mail: nonie@noniedarwish.com
Nonie Darwish is the Founder and President of ArabsForIsrael.org. She speaks out against the divisive Wahabist ideology that is poisoning the Middle East and US. Raised in the Gaza Strip, Darwish grew up in conditions of intense hatred and anti-Semitic indoctrination. As an adult, she moved to America realized the full impact of indoctrinated hate she experienced and now speaks out against all around the world.
Malcolm Hoenlein
Affiliation: Executive Vice Chairman, Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations
Tel.: 212-318-6111
E-mail: info@conferenceofpresidents.org
Professor Barry Rubin
Affiliation: Director, Global Research for International Affairs Center
Tel.: 09-960-2736 (Office); 050-279-571 (Cell)
E-mail: profbarryrubin@yahoo.com
Ph.d., Georgetown University is Senior Resident Fellow at the BESA Center.
