(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - 52% of the American public would be more likely to support a presidential candidate who is in favor of a united Jerusalem and defensible borders for Israel, while 13% said these positions would make them less likely to support such a candidate, according to a poll conducted Tuesday among 1,000 respondents by McLaughlin & Associates for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. 73% agreed that: "Under a future Arab-Israeli peace agreement, Jerusalem should remain under Israeli sovereignty with freedom of religion for Christians, Muslim, Jews and all other faiths," while only 9% disagreed. Dore Gold, president of the Jerusalem Center, said, "The most astounding element of the survey is the massive, across the board support for Jerusalem remaining united under Israeli sovereignty when the question makes reference to religious freedom." "Most Americans probably feel that were Israel to give up holy sites to the Palestinians, it would be like turning it over to the Taliban." When asked whether they "agree with the position that in any future peace agreement Israel should be entitled to defensible borders, or do you agree with the position that Israel should be forced to return to the boundaries of 1967, when Israel was eight miles wide at its narrowest point and came under attack," 54% said Israel should have defensible borders, while 16% said it should be forced to the 1967 lines. 58% said they became more sympathetic to Israel's struggle against terrorism following the 9/11 attacks in the U.S., while 24% said the attacks made no difference, and 13% said the attacks made them less sympathetic.
2004-02-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive