The Arab_Israeli Conflict by Jonathan Rynhold

Author:Jonathan Rynhold [Rynhold, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2015-02-27T22:00:00+00:00

Criticism and Pressure

AJC polls demonstrate that in principle, a majority of between half and two-thirds consistently believe that American Jews should support the policy of the elected government of Israel regardless of an individual’s view. On the other hand, a similar majority has consistently supported the right to criticize Israeli policy.33 Evidently the American Jewish public respects the right to freedom of speech and dissent while continuing to identify with the approach of the mainstream pro-Israel lobby. This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that from 1992 to 2008, 66 to 83 percent of American Jews thought that the U.S. should support Israel over the Palestinians.34

Then there is the vexed issue of U.S. pressure on Israel to promote the peace process. Traditionally, American Jews opposed such pressure.35 However, a 1998 AJC poll showed them almost evenly divided on the issue, while an Israel Policy Forum survey demonstrated that three-quarters were in favor of pressure on both sides.36 Polls conducted by J Street (2008–2010) also showed that more than 70 percent were willing to support pressure on both sides to help achieve peace. Taken together, these polls demonstrate that American Jews remained more or less evenly divided on the theoretical question of whether the U.S. should publicly criticize or pressure Israel – assuming it was Israel that was blocking a peace agreement from being reached.37

However, these results overstate the willingness to pressure Israel in practice because, as noted above, American Jews overwhelmingly believed that the Arab side has been the main block on peace. Thus, by margins of 60 to 28 percent and 48 to 14 percent, a large majority thought that in practice the U.S. should generally support the Israeli government position.38 In any case, there is only majority support for pressure when it is applied on both sides by a president who is viewed as sympathetic to Israel, and only if there is perceived to be a real chance for advancing peace.

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