World
Obama's Iran Approach
New AJC survey shows U.S. Jews sharply divided.
New York
A
new AJC survey shows a
majority of American Jews are
deeply divided over how the
president is handling the threat of Iran's
nuclear program. According to the AJC
2010 Annual Survey of American Jewish
Opinion, 47 percent approve the pres-
ident's strategy, 42 percent disapprove
and 11 percent are unsure.
A full 68 percent of U.S. Jews believe
there is either "little" or "no" chance of
sanctions and diplomacy curbing Iran's
nuclear ambitions. Fifty-three percent
would support, and 42 percent oppose,
U.S. military action to prevent Iran from
obtaining nuclear weapons; 62 percent
would support, and 33 percent oppose,
Israeli military action.
Obama's overall performance as
president won an approval of 57 per-
cent, with 38 percent disapproving, a
little more than a year after he assumed
office. Exit polls in the 2008 election
showed that Obama won 78 percent of
the Jewish vote.
Conducted annually since 1990, AJC's
surveys often are cited as the most
authoritative barometer of American
Jewish opinion on a range of issues.
"If past is prologue, some ideologi-
cally driven groups will cherry pick the
results that buttress their particular
claims, but the richness and depth of
the survey data offers a multifaceted
— and, therefore, complex — picture
of American Jewish thinking on the
key international affairs and domestic
policy challenges facing the United
States," said AJC Executive Director
David Harris.
"While some issues generate a strong
consensus, others reveal deep divisions,
a pattern that has emerged consistently
in these AJC surveys over the years."
On the economy, health care and
homeland security, Obama scores some-
what higher ratings among Jews than
the general American population. Fifty-
five percent approve, and 42 percent dis-
approve, of the president's handling of
the economy; 50 percent approve, while
48 percent disapprove, of his handling
of health care; and, on his handling of
homeland security, 62 percent approve,
and 33 percent disapprove.
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May 20 • 2010
Regarding the Obama administra-
tion's handling of U.S.-Israel relations,
55 percent approve and 37 percent dis-
approve. In the 2009 AJC Annual Survey,
54 percent approved and 32 percent
disapproved. On a related question, 57
percent approve of the Netanyahu gov-
ernment's handling of Israel-U.S. rela-
tions, while 30 percent disapprove.
Asked to characterize U.S.-Israel
relations today, 63 percent answered
"somewhat positive with a further 10
percent describing them as "very posi-
tive In the 2009 survey, 70 percent said
"somewhat positive" and 11 percent
"very positive
In terms of the wider region, there is
majority support — 62 percent — for
Obama's decision to deploy an addition-
al 30,000 troops in Afghanistan.
Arab Israeli Peace Process
"While some issues generate a
strong consensus, others reveal deep
divisions, a pattern that has emerged
consistently in these AJC surveys over
the years."
- AJC's David Harris
percent of respondents agreed that the
"goal of the Arabs" is the destruction
of Israel. Eighty percent rejected the
proposition that Israel could achieve
peace with a Hamas-led Palestinian gov-
ernment.
those between ages 40 and 59, 24 per-
cent feel "very close" and 46 percent feel
"fairly close And among those older
than 60, 34 percent feel "very close" and
47 percent feel "fairly close
American Jews And Israel
Global Anti Semitism
The survey revealed an acute concern
among U.S. Jews of anti-Semitism:
• 98 percent believe it to be a problem
in the Muslim world, the overwhelming
majority — 87 percent — defining it as
cc very serious.
• 95 percent of respondents believe
anti-Semitism to be a problem in
Europe, with more than half — 51 per-
cent — defining it as "very serious."
• 91 percent think anti-Semitism is
a problem in the United States, with 25
percent defining it as "very serious" and
66 percent as "somewhat of a problem."
• 91 percent of respondents believe
that over the next several years, anti-
Semitism will either remain at current
levels or increase.
-
On the Arab-Israeli peace process, the
AJC survey reveals near unanimity
among American Jews in insisting that
the Palestinians recognize Israel as a
Jewish state in any permanent peace
agreement. As in 2009, 94 percent of
those surveyed favor that proposition.
The new survey shows support is firm
across all denominations — 90 per-
cent among Orthodox Jews, 99 percent
among Conservative Jews, 98 percent
among Reform Jews, and 93 percent
among those who describe themselves
as "just Jewish."
American Jews are almost evenly split
on the establishment of a Palestinian
state, with 48 percent in favor and 45
percent opposed.
On the future of Israeli settlements in
the West Bank, 8 percent say all, and 56
percent say some, should be dismantled
as part of a permanent settlement with
the Palestinians. The remaining 34 per-
cent say none of the West Bank settle-
ments should be removed.
Regarding the future of Jerusalem,
61 percent believe that Israel's capi-
tal should remain a united city under
Israeli sovereignty, while 35 percent say
Israel should be willing to compromise
in the framework of a permanent peace
with the Palestinians.
The survey shows deep suspicion of
Arab intentions remains widespread
among American Jews. Seventy-five
In terms of personal feelings, a clear
majority of American Jews have a strong
bond with Israel. Those who feel "very
close" make up 30 percent of respon-
dents, while a further 44 percent feel
"fairly close." In all denominations,
well over 50 percent say they are either
"very" or "fairly" close to Israel. The
attachment is particularly pronounced
among Orthodox Jews, 77 percent of
who define themselves as "very close" to
Israel.
Interestingly, given the widespread
discussion of a generational divide
on Israel, the AJC survey shows that
younger American Jews feel a greater
closeness toward Israel when compared
to their elders. Forty percent of those
under the age of 40 feel "very close" and
30 percent feel "fairly close Among
All The Detail
The full survey, which contains
additional policy questions and tracks
American Jewish perceptions of key
countries, is available at www.ajc.
org/survey2010 . For comparative
purposes, past AJC surveys can be
accessed at www.ajc.org/survey.
The 2010 telephone survey was
conducted for the AJC by Synovate
(formerly Market Facts), a research
-
3,
❑
c
American
Committee
wwwalcorg
organization. The respondents are
representative of the United States
adult Jewish population on a variety
of measures.