For Release 3:30 P.M. Jerusalem Time. Sunday, November 16, 2008

Bi-partisan poll of voters conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and commissioned by The Israel Project shows: 

• 72 percent say "even with all the problems that America faces at home now, we must still work hard to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons";
• 66 percent say America should be a supporter of Israel and only six percent say America should be a supporter of the Palestinians;
• Recent news has made close to two-thirds of Americans more concerned about Iran;
• While economic issues top the list of American concerns, it does not dampen voters’ wishes to stand with Israel and to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

Jerusalem, Israel. - A new bipartisan poll (power point, word document) commissioned by The Israel Project (TIP) shows that 72 percent of voting Americans across the political spectrum believe “even with all the problems that America faces at home now, we must still work hard to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.” Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of voters are more concerned about Iran based on what they have seen, read or heard recently in the news.

Said Stanley Greenberg, PhD of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, “Voters supporting Obama as well as McCain all find Iran with nuclear weapons to be a grave threat to the US and feel the need to work hard to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.”

 When asked about the top two foreign policy priorities of the next president, “ending the war in Iraq” (56%), “restoring global economic growth” (41%) and “defeating Al-Qaeda and the Taliban” (35%) topped the list, but these were followed closely by “preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons” at 33 percent. Lower priorities for the next administration among voters include, “making peace between Israel and the Palestinians” (19%), “dealing with the instability in Pakistan,” (15%), and “meeting the threat of Putin’s Russia (8%).

Israel continues to enjoy a plurality of bi-partisan American support while only 6 percent support the Palestinians. In addition to voters’ individual support, 66 percent of voters agree America should stand with Israel vis-à-vis the Palestinians. This sentiment cuts across party lines as 80 percent of GOP and 59 percent of Democratic respondents say America should support Israel. This strong allegiance to Israel stems from the idea that, “Israel shares our values including freedom of speech, religion, press and the right to vote.” Even in the context of “all the problems America now faces at home,” 58 percent of voters agree “America needs to stand with Israel” over the statement “Israel needs to take care of itself.”

“The more things change, the more things stay the same,” commented Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies. “Even though Americans endured a long and difficult election, at the end of the day there is very strong support for Israel and significant concern about Iran as a threat not just to Israel but to the US.”

The economy overwhelmingly topped the list of important issues voters considered before voting (49%), with all other issues receiving scores of 15% or lower. While Jews have historically been the scapegoats in tough economic times both in the US and abroad, more than 8 out of ten of Americans disagree with the statement: “Jews have too much power in politics and the economy and are to blame for the current financial crisis facing America and the rest of the world.”

Said Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, founder and president of The Israel Project, “The threat of a nuclear Iran isn’t a Democratic issue or a Republican issue – it’s a concern for all peace-loving people who don’t want to live under the constant threat of a nuclear attack by an unstable regime and its terrorist proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas. Let us not forget that Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terror and continually threatens to attack the U.S. and Europe.”

This survey was conducted jointly by Public Opinion Strategies and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research on Election Day, November 4th, 2008 among 800 actual voters.  The margin of error is +/- 3.46%. Historical trend data is from surveys conducted by both POS and GQRR, and includes interviews among adults, registered voters, likely voters, and opinion elites.

The Israel Project (TIP) is an international non-profit organization devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel while promoting security, freedom and peace. The Israel Project provides journalists, leaders and opinion-makers accurate information about Israel. The Israel Project is not related to any government or government agency.

Our team of trusted Middle East experts and former reporters provides journalists with fact sheets, backgrounders and sources. TIP regularly hosts press briefings featuring leading Israeli spokespeople and analysts that give journalists an opportunity to get information and answers to their questions face-to-face.

TIP's Jerusalem Office to Open Wednesday November 19th at 7 PM

The Israel Project's (TIP) Jerusalem Office will officially open on Wednesday night at 7 PM. The office is in Malcha, in a building used heavily by the international media. TIP's Israel team, led by Marcus Sheff, includes experts who are fluent in English, Hebrew, Arabic, French and Italian.

Major funding for TIP's Jerusalem office was provided by Robert and Yadelle Sklare.

 The Israel Project authorizes and welcomes use of any part or all of this release/statement free of charge and without attribution.