Sadat Chair Releases Poll on U.S. Opinions on Israel/Palestine
Following the collapse of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in 2014 and this summer’s Gaza war, tensions between Israelis and Palestinians are on the rise. Voices on both sides of the conflict question the United States’ traditional role Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations—and how that role should evolve amid current discussions. And, according to a groundbreaking new public opinion poll created by Shibley Telhami, incumbent of the Sadat Chair for World Peace, Americans are increasingly uncomfortable with the status quo in the Middle East.
The poll answers crucial questions including:
· How much importance do Americans attach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and to reaching a resolution?
· How do different communities in the United States—Democrats, Republicans, minorities, youth, older Americans—vary in their attitudes toward Israelis and Palestinians?
And, beyond the question of who is more “at fault” in the conflict, the poll examines what kind of future for Israel and the Palestinians Americans think the United States should support.
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“We also found that Americans are growing more open to the idea of a one-state solution compared with last year and a larger percentage, 71 percent, say they favor Israel’s democracy over its Jewishness if two states were no longer possible.”
Read the full report on the poll and related analysis. Follow conversations about the poll via #Saban14. Read Dr. Telhami's blog post.
On December 5, the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at Brookings and its 2014 Saban Forum hosted Dr. Telhami for the launch of the poll. The event focused on discussing Americans’ attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the involvement of the United States in the region. Listen to the proceedings.
Dr. Telhami was joined in the discussion by Brookings Senior Fellow Bill Galston. Tamara Cofman Wittes, senior fellow and director of the Center for Middle East Policy, provided introductory remarks and moderate the panel.
The event was one of many centered on Dr. Telhami’s work, as he is a Nonresident Senior Fellow for Brookings, and is internationally recognized as an expert on the Middle East and on U.S. diplomacy.
He recently published an op-ed in The Washington Post on the incitement of violence in conflicts between Israel and Palestine.
Learn more about Professor Telhami’s research and his role as the Sadat Chair, and follow him on Twitter @ShibleyTelhami.
Published on Fri, Dec 5, 2014 - 2:12PM