Poll: Nearly half of U.S. voters support total settlement freeze

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Almost half of all U.S. voters believe that Israel should be made to cease all settlement construction as part of a future peace deal with the Palestinians, a Rasmussen Reports poll said on Wednesday.

The American institute claimed that a recent poll showed 49% of voters approved of forcing Israel to stop settlement construction, with only 22% of voters disagreeing, saying Israel should not be required to stop building those settlements. Another 29% were not sure."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1157419.html


Public Opinion Backs Obama Not Netanyahu

<snip>

"Wolf Blitzer and Jack Cafferty have it right here (video at link) except where Wolf characterizes the shift in public opinion as "anti-Israel." It is not; it is against settlements and for peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians. Even more, it is about supporting our own government when a foreign country publicly disses America. Wolf quickly corrects himself and notes, with Cafferty, that even Israelis hate Bibi's settlement policies. Public opinion is shifting.

Also, the first poll on the Obama administration's stand on settlements is out. It comes from the right-leaning Rasmussen reports.

And it's a doozy. It turns out that "49% of American voters believe Israel should be required to stop building settlements." Rasmussen also reports that their "national telephone survey finds that just 22% of voters disagree and believe Israel should not be required to stop building those settlements. Another 29% are not sure."

This is important not only because this poll represents a significant shift in public opinion, not against Israel but for the President's approach. In fact, other poll responses indicate that the electorate remains strongly pro-Israel. It is just that American voters understand that Israeli settlements are bad for Israel, bad for Palestinians and most significantly, as General Petraeus tells us, bad for America."

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/18/rasmussen_americans_back_obama_in_israel_imbroglio/

[aranthus]

1. That's not what the poll says.

The poll asked if settlement construction should be stopped as part of a peace agreement, not if there should be a settlement freeze before an agreement is reached. In fact, the question asked has nothing to do with the current situation. It's a misleading poll (there's a surprise).

[oberliner]

2. Here is the actual question

As part of a Middle Eastern peace agreement, should Israel be required to stop building new settlements in occupied Palestinian territory?

49% Yes
22% No
29% Not sure

It's from Rasmussen for what that is worth.

[aranthus]

5. Given the way the question is written,

it's a wonder that the "yes" percentage isn't much higher. If you read it literally, it means that even if there is a peace agreement, less than half of Americans think that settlement building should be stopped. What's up with that?

[Jefferson23]

3. 49% coming from a Rasmussen poll, Obama fairly consistently polled

low on these polls. I am surprised that the poll indicates 49%, I would have guessed a much lower percent would approve.

[Scurrilous]

4. Haaretz Poll: Most Israelis see Obama as fair and friendly

<snip>

"U.S. President Barack Obama's popularity may be declining in American public opinion, but a sweeping majority of Israelis think his treatment of this country is friendly and fair, according to a Haaretz-Dialog poll conducted this week.

The poll also found that most Israelis don't believe politicians who call Obama anti-Semitic or hostile to Israel, or who say he is "striving to topple Netanyahu."

The poll, which was conducted Tuesday and Wednesday and supervised by Professor Camil Fuchs, comes after reports of a crisis in diplomatic relations due to Israel's announcement during a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that it will build 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aides said they had hoped the public would rally around him and see him as a victim of overly strict treatment by the Obama administration.

However, there was no significant change in the level of public satisfaction with Netanyahu since the previous poll, conducted six weeks earlier. Respondents' evaluation of his suitability as premier also remained stable."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1157483.html