AJC Survey Shows
Growing Hawkishness
NOAM M.M. NEUSNER
Staff Writer
T
he most recent survey
of American Jews
paints a community
growingly hawkish when it
comes to Israel. Still, the
report's authors say, Ameri-
can Jews would respond
positively to an Arab-Israeli
peace settlement.
The American Jewish
Committee report, which
was finished last September
and released earlier this
month, was directed by
demographer Steven Cohen
of Queens' College.
Some of the responses from
the 1,159 written question-
naires were compared with
1989 data collected from a
similar survey which show-
ed a heightened interest in
negotiations with Arab
states for peace. That at-
titude, the AJC survey
The Gulf War has
swung American
Jews, especially
Reform, to the
right, behind
Israel.
showed, has diminished in
the last two years, mainly
because of the Gulf War:
• In 1989, 62 percent
agreed that the PLO is de-
termined to destroy Israel.
In the 1991 survey, 83 per-
cent agreed.
• Only 14 percent said
that continued Israeli oc-
cupation of the West Bank
and Gaza erodes Israel's
democratic character. In
1989, the number was 26
percent.
• Two-thirds of the re-
spondents said that the Gulf
War proved the importance
of the West Bank for
"strategic depth."
• Eighty percent said the
United States government
should not use foreign aid to
influence Israel's bargaining
position with the Arabs.
• Sixty-two percent said
the American news media
exercises a double-standard
in judging Israel, compared
to its coverage of Arab
nations.
The study also revealed
that the biggest shift to the
political right occurred
among Reform Jews, the
highly educated, the unaf-
filiated and liberals. Still,
Orthodox Jews and com-
munity activists remain the
most hawkish. Two-thirds of
the Orthodox respondents
and over half of the activists
said they are closely attach-
ed to Israel.
Politically, Democrats ap-
pear to have won the con-
fidence of American Jews
with regard to Israel; 58 per-
cent said the Democrats are
"generally friendly" to the
Jewish state. Only 24 per-
cent could say that of the
Republicans.
George Bush has
registered a mixed response
from American Jews; 10 per-
cent perceive him as un-
friendly to Israel and 34 per-
cent perceive him as friend-
ly. Mr. Bush's Republican
colleagues, Secretary of State
James Baker and former
Chief of Staff John Sununu,
don't do as well; 23 and 39
percent said they were un-
friendly to Israel, respective-
ly.
American Jewish percep-
tions of Israeli politics ap-
pear untouched by the swing
to the right. While most
could not distinguish bet-
ween Israeli "hawks" and
"doves," those who did
favored the doves over the
hawks, 35 to 28 percent.
Almost half didn't know
enough about the two groups
to give an answer.
Also, 83 percent of the re-
spondents favored separa-
tion of religion and state in
Israel, and 52 percent said
the Orthodox religious par-
ties have too much power in
the country.
Steven Bayme, the associ-
ate director of the AJC's In-
stitute on American Jewish-
Israeli Relations, said that
American Jews appear am-
bivalent about Israel's
future. While the Gulf War
dramatically illustrated
Israel's security needs,
American Jews still support
direct negotiations between
Israel and her Arab
neighbors. This, he said,
means that constructive
negotiations — similar to
the Egyptian-Israeli Camp
David Accords — would
dramatically swing Ameri-
can Jewish opinion in sup-
port of peace.
"The ambivalence
reflected among American
Jews reflects a skepticism
toward Arab intentions,"
said Mr. Bayme. "Symbolic
gestures — for example,
refusing to shake the hands
of Israeli diplomats — sug-
gest the absence of a clear
commitment to accept
Israel."
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