The Volokh Conspiracy - Spinning American Jewish Opinion on Israel:

From a survey of American Jewish opinion, including everyone from the most committed Jews to the completely unaffiliated:

9. Do you think there will or will not come a time when Israel and its Arab neighbors will be able to settle their differences and live in peace? Will 37 Will Not 55 Not Sure 8

10. Do you think that negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas can or cannot lead to peace in the foreseeable future? Can 36 Cannot 55 Not Sure 9

11. Do you think that Israel can or cannot achieve peace with a Hamas-led, Palestinian government? Can 17 Cannot 74 Not Sure 9

12. In the current situation, do you favor or oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state? Favor 46 Oppose 43 Not sure 12

[Note that this is a remarkably ambiguous formulation of the question. I support the establishment of a Palestinian state, but not until a peace agreement is reached and the Palestinian government proves itself capable of establishing order. Does that mean that "in the current situation" I support or oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state? ]

13. In the framework of a permanent peace with the Palestinians, should Israel be willing to compromise on the status of Jerusalem as a united city under Israeli jurisdiction? Yes 36 No 58 Not Sure 7

14. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel." Agree 82 Disagree 12 Not Sure 6

The obvious conclusion from this survey is that American Jews are moderately hawkish on Israel, very suspicious of Israel's neighbors' intentions, and very pessimistic about the prospect for peace. Overall, these positions are to the "right," of e.g., the Bush Administration, which hopes to see the establishment of a Palestinian state by the time it leaves office, undoubtedly desires that Israel compromise on Jerusalem, and believes that territorial compromise can resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict.

But according to Eric Alterman, American Jews are "impressivlely sensible," by which he means left-wing and dovish, on Israel, especially when compared with the evil "Bush/neocon agenda," apparently because about half of them support a Palestinian state. [Editor's note: The Bush Administration's most prominent neocon during its seven years in office, Paul Wolfowitz, was also an ardent supporter of the establishment of a Palestinian state.] Similarly, Glenn Greenwald somehow concludes that the poll shows that hawkish views on Israel, such as those propounded by evil "right wing neocons" (a category in which he bizarrely includes AIPAC, which in my experience is dominated by moderates who lean liberal), are supported by only a small minority of American Jews, a position not supported by the data in the poll .

Contrary to Alterman, there is no evidence discernable from this survey that mainstream Jewish organizations, which he claims have been taken over by a well-organized right-wingers, have positions far more hawkish on Israel than is reflected in mainstream Jewish opinion, much less the mainstream opinion of Jews actively affiliated with the community (who tend to be both better informed, more hawkish, and by definition more likely to be the direct constituents of Jewish organizations). On the other hand, it seems clear that Jewish popular opinion is strongly oppose to at least some positions of Jewish "peace" groups such as Brit Tzedek V'Shalom [with whom Alterman has collaborated]. For example, while only 17% of American Jews think Israel could achieve a peace deal with "a Hamas-led government," BTVS thinks that Israel should "pursue every avenue for peace and reconciliation with Hamas."

Alterman's agenda, of course, is to discredit organizations that don't share his own rather idiosyncratic perspective on Israel, by falsely portraying them as captives of right-wing extremists well out of the Jewish mainstream. But by spouting nonsense about an "unholy alliance between conservative-dominated professional Jewish organizations [such as the American Jewish Committee! Hah!] and neoconservative Jewish pundits, aided by pliant and frequently clueless mainstream media that empower these right-wingers to speak for a people with values diametrically opposed to theirs," he's only discrediting himself.

	[David Bernstein, December 26, 2007 at 6:14pm] Trackbacks Spinning American Jewish Opinion on Israel: From a survey of American Jewish opinion, including everyone from the most committed Jews to the completely unaffiliated: 9. Do you think there will or will not come a time when Israel and its Arab neighbors will be able to settle their differences and live in peace? Will 37 Will Not 55 Not Sure 8 10. Do you think that negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas can or cannot lead to peace in the foreseeable future? Can 36 Cannot 55 Not Sure 9 11. Do you think that Israel can or cannot achieve peace with a Hamas-led, Palestinian government? Can 17 Cannot 74 Not Sure 9 12. In the current situation, do you favor or oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state? Favor 46 Oppose 43 Not sure 12 [Note that this is a remarkably ambiguous formulation of the question. I support the establishment of a Palestinian state, but not until a peace agreement is reached and the Palestinian government proves itself capable of establishing order. Does that mean that "in the current situation" I support or oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state? ] 13. In the framework of a permanent peace with the Palestinians, should Israel be willing to compromise on the status of Jerusalem as a united city under Israeli jurisdiction? Yes 36 No 58 Not Sure 7 14. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel." Agree 82 Disagree 12 Not Sure 6 The obvious conclusion from this survey is that American Jews are moderately hawkish on Israel, very suspicious of Israel's neighbors' intentions, and very pessimistic about the prospect for peace. Overall, these positions are to the "right," of e.g., the Bush Administration, which hopes to see the establishment of a Palestinian state by the time it leaves office, undoubtedly desires that Israel compromise on Jerusalem, and believes that territorial compromise can resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. But according to Eric Alterman, American Jews are "impressivlely sensible," by which he means left-wing and dovish, on Israel, especially when compared with the evil "Bush/neocon agenda," apparently because about half of them support a Palestinian state. [Editor's note: The Bush Administration's most prominent neocon during its seven years in office, Paul Wolfowitz, was also an ardent supporter of the establishment of a Palestinian state.] Similarly, Glenn Greenwald somehow concludes that the poll shows that hawkish views on Israel, such as those propounded by evil "right wing neocons" (a category in which he bizarrely includes AIPAC, which in my experience is dominated by moderates who lean liberal), are supported by only a small minority of American Jews, a position not supported by the data in the poll . Contrary to Alterman, there is no evidence discernable from this survey that mainstream Jewish organizations, which he claims have been taken over by a well-organized right-wingers, have positions far more hawkish on Israel than is reflected in mainstream Jewish opinion, much less the mainstream opinion of Jews actively affiliated with the community (who tend to be both better informed, more hawkish, and by definition more likely to be the direct constituents of Jewish organizations). On the other hand, it seems clear that Jewish popular opinion is strongly oppose to at least some positions of Jewish "peace" groups such as Brit Tzedek V'Shalom [with whom Alterman has collaborated]. For example, while only 17% of American Jews think Israel could achieve a peace deal with "a Hamas-led government," BTVS thinks that Israel should "pursue every avenue for peace and reconciliation with Hamas." Alterman's agenda, of course, is to discredit organizations that don't share his own rather idiosyncratic perspective on Israel, by falsely portraying them as captives of right-wing extremists well out of the Jewish mainstream. But by spouting nonsense about an "unholy alliance between conservative-dominated professional Jewish organizations [such as the American Jewish Committee! Hah!] and neoconservative Jewish pundits, aided by pliant and frequently clueless mainstream media that empower these right-wingers to speak for a people with values diametrically opposed to theirs," he's only discrediting himself.