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Actually, Arab- and Jewish-Americans Agree on Mideast Peace
This week is the 40th anniversary of the Six Day War between Israel and much of the Arab world, which forever reconfigured Middle Eastern geopolitics. Peace between Israel and the Palestinians seems as far away as ever. But a poll (pdf) released today of Arabs and Jews in the United States, commissioned jointly by the Arab-American Institute and the left-leaning Americans for Peace Now, shows a surprising consensus here on a negotiated two-state solution.
Wide majorities of American Jews and Arabs -- 98 percent of Jews, 88 percent of Arabs -- believe Israelis have the right to exist in "a secure, independent state of their own." Similarly, 90 percent of Jewish-Americans and 96 percent of Arab-Americans believe the same thing about the Palestinians. It's unfortunate that 12 percent of U.S. Arabs don't believe Israelis have the right to their own state and that 10 percent of U.S. Jews don't believe that Palestinians do either, but clearly, wide and reciprocal majorities of each community in the U.S. supports a two-state solution to the conflict.
Furthermore, a large and nearly-identical political constituency exists in each community for the 2008 presidential candidates to pledge a more active U.S. role in promoting the peace process. Contrary to the election-year tendency to pander to Mideast hardliners in the U.S., 68 percent of American Jews and 64 percent of American Arabs say that they'd be "more likely" to back an active peace-processor; only 3 percent of both communities would be less likely to support such a candidate. The same robust support exists in both communities for the notion that promoting a negotiated peace is in U.S. interests: 96 percent of Jewish-Americans and 91 percent of Arab-Americans answered affirmatively. And 89 percent of American Jews and 92 percent of American Arabs agree that "Arab/Jewish American collaboration" is important in making Mideast peace a reality.
Here's AAI President James Zogby on the poll's political significance:
Aside from providing the basis for better understanding and joint action, the poll demonstrates the fallacy, fostered by groups like AIPAC (the pro-Israel lobby) and believed by too many politicians, that Arab Americans and American Jews are poles apart in their views of Middle East peace. They are not.Forty years into the occupation, both communities are saying “enough.” They want the violence and occupation to end. They want a comprehensive Middle East peace, and they want the kind of U.S. leadership that will work to make that peace a reality.
Comments (11)
syvanen wrote on June 4, 2007 6:24 PM:It is too bad that American Jewish attitudes are not shared with the Israelis or the American Arab attitudes the same as Palestinians. They do hate each other over there. Besides which as long as Israel continues to colonize the westbank there is no real estate for a two state solution in any case.
It seems probable that the westbank settlement movement is now irreversible.
Phill wrote on June 4, 2007 7:21 PM:There is also agreement amongst the ultras on each side. Likud want a single state, so do Hamas, both want the same borders. Only difference is what to call it.
Oh and the question of who is allowed to live there and vote there. Which is where it all falls apart again.
The two state solution is now effectively dead, Likud and Hamas have killed it. Since the most equitable solution would be for everyone to have genuinely equal civil rights in a secular state this is no bad thing. The alternative is endless irridentist squabbles.
The real stalling point is going to be the definition of Israel as 'a Jewish state', a definition which was acceptable in 1948 but not today. We would not accept a state for White people or Christians or Muslims as being valid, particularly when 30% or more of the population are not members of the specially favored group.
Freedom Fighter wrote on June 4, 2007 8:38 PM:You actually believe anything Zogby says?
Of course the poll supported his views!
The problem in a nutshell is the Arab's refusal to live in peace and equality with Jews. And that was true way before Israel became a state.
In any event, the road to solving this problem doesn't involve a second Arab Palestinian state. It involves taking responsibility for the claims of refugees on BOTH sides and dealing with them appropriately:
J O S H U A P U N D I T: A real peace proposal for the Middle East
tekel wrote on June 4, 2007 11:42 PM:wait just a minute--- who the fuck cares what some religious extremists who live in AMERICA have to say about the middle east?
"97 percent of southern baptist evangelicals think that the two-state solution is the right way to go, in the Middle East, as long as abortion is illegal in both Israel and Palestine. But none of the respondants to this poll are willing to move there or in fact to do anything at all about it besides drink Coors Lite and eat more Cheetos."
Nobody who lives in the US gives a happy ratfuck about what happens there. Let them kill each other as hard and fast as they want, for whatever reason they think is appropriate. They have Jihad, we have Whole Foods and Best Buy and Gap for Kids... so now tell me who looks stupid fighting over some bullshit pile of concrete blocks with no roof or septic system in some godforsaken desert?
They can have it. Either one of them- it really doesn't matter. What this poll really says is that Americans (and aliens living in America) just don't care. And if these religious freaks want to buy guns and bombs from us to try to take that worthless strip of land away from each other, more power to 'em.
tekel wrote on June 4, 2007 11:55 PM:Dear Freedom Fighter: The problem in a nutshell is the Arab's refusal to live in peace and equality with Jews. And that was true way before Israel became a state.
That would be all well and good, except for the inconvenient fact that the Palestinian people and their ancestors were there first. It's kind of like what the American settlers did to the Cherokee and Navajo and Shoshone: we killed almost all of them, so that they couldn't make any meaningful objection when we forced them onto the most worthless land that was left. It was the Indians' fault that they wouldn't live in peace with the white man. After we showed up, forced them off all of their best land, and then shot at them when they wanted it back, all we wanted was peace.
The American plan would have worked in Israel, except that the first Israelis didn't kill enough Arabs to suppress the resistance. The same conflict is playing out again in Iraq- if we had just killed sixty or seventy million more Iraqis, there wouldn't be any insurgency. Sooner or later someone will really READ Machiavelli instead of just skimming it and realize that you can't do global conquest halfway.
Now, there are only two possible solutions left to the Israel/Palestine conflict. One is the legitimate establishment of a Palestinian state, free from Israeli harassment. The other is total annhiliation of all of the Palestinians who are left (a third option would be to kill all of the Israelis, but since Israel has sustained support from the US, the G8, and the UN, that's just not realistic).
No matter what American pollsters may say, there is no middle ground.
jc wrote on June 5, 2007 1:42 AM:re: Palestinian people and their ancestors were there first
Actually not. DNA testing has conclusively shown that Jews are in fact directly linked to Israel (or Judea hence the name Jew). Conversely Palestinians (like most Arab peoples are a melting pot reflecting the various conquered populations and the significant import of slaves.) have more European ancestry than Jews returning from Europe. They also demonstrate significant Arab Ancestry (no surprise) as well as roots in N. Africa, Sub-Saharan (Black) Africa and Central Asia.
Also never forget that the Arab states rejected the definition of Palestinian refugee as being born in Palestine and demanded and recieved instead place of residence from 1946-1948 as the definition.
jc wrote on June 5, 2007 1:44 AM:re: Palestinian people and their ancestors were there first
Actually not. DNA testing has conclusively shown that Jews are in fact directly linked to Israel (or Judea hence the name Jew). Conversely Palestinians (like most Arab peoples are a melting pot reflecting the various conquered populations and the significant import of slaves.) have more European ancestry than Jews returning from Europe. They also demonstrate significant Arab Ancestry (no surprise) as well as roots in N. Africa, Sub-Saharan (Black) Africa and Central Asia.
Also never forget that the Arab states rejected the definition of Palestinian refugee as being born in Palestine and demanded and recieved instead place of residence from 1946-1948 as the definition.
Phill wrote on June 5, 2007 9:43 AM:What utter rot.
DNA testing has proved what? There is absolutely no way that DNA testing can prove geographic origin. All it can demonstrate is that a population is more closely related to some other population.
And even if it did prove what is claimed it is essentially a racist claim pure and simple, that one group of people have rights because of their race and others don't.
The discussion here is pretty much demonstrating why the place is such a mess, ex-patriate irridentism is a costless hobby. Just as it is easy for a second generation ex-pat Irish malcontent living in NYC to fund the terrorism of the IRA a few thousand miles to the east, it is easy for irridentists to fund Likud and Hamas, they don't live with the consequences.
What Ackerman does not understand here is that its not the views of 95% of Americans that matter. Its the 5% who are prepared to fund terrorism or 'ethnic cleansing', and get mighty indignant about their morality in doing so.
J.Goodwin wrote on June 5, 2007 10:13 AM:I agree that the DNA stuff is bunk. However, in any case:
There has always been a significant split in the US Jewish community between Zionists and anti-Zionists. Probably 75% of those who have been to an American high school have read "The Chosen," which has this argument as a significant background against which the story is set.
I think that the rest of the world in general has moved on. Fifty years of Jewish occupation is enough for a couple generations of Arabs to come to grips with the idea that Israel is here to stay in one form or another, for better or worse. The Israeli government on the other hand seems to believe that it can stomp out Palestinian nationalism by military force.
One might think that the lessons of the Haganah, the Irgun Zvai Leumi and the Stern Gang would have taught them that there is no way to stop the terror without a negotiated settlement and viable state for Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians will continue to use the same tactics that the Zionists used to get their state: attacks on civilian transports, bombings of shipping, assassination of high level officials (have the Palestinians even ever pulled this off?), hotel bombings, bombings of foreign embassies, public markets, truck bombings, use of military munitions such as mines and rockets, and hijacking and bombing of civilian aircraft.
The Palestinians are learning from the best.
mcsokrates wrote on June 5, 2007 12:08 PM:"assassination of high level officials (have the Palestinians even ever pulled this off?)"
The PFLP assassinated Rehavam Ze'evi, the Israeli Tourism minister, in 2002.
mcsokrates wrote on June 5, 2007 12:18 PM:Additionally, Fatah attempted several assassinations in the 1970's, targeting American and other Western targets, with limited success. The Abu Nidal Organization assassinated pretty much anyone Saddam told them to, but by the time they got into the assassination game, ANO was an Iraqi puppet, rather like PFLP-GC was Syrian-controlled, and not really a significant part of the Palestinian National struggle.