[Jerusalem Post] Herb Keinon - Israel's public standing in both the U.S. and Europe has improved following the war in Lebanon, says pollster Stan Greenberg. According to a poll Greenberg conducted in the U.S. in September, 53 percent said they considered themselves supporters or strong supporters of Israel, while only 5 percent said they were supporters or strong supporters of the Palestinians. Regarding the war in Lebanon and the IDF's campaign in Gaza, 74 percent of the American public believes Israel was motivated in these actions by a desire to protect itself. Greenberg also said that while Europeans were not necessarily identifying more with Israel, they were identifying far less with the Palestinians. Amir Gissin, director of public affairs at the Foreign Ministry, said people in the West had stopped seeing the Israel-Palestinian conflict as the root of all Middle East instability. Greenberg noted that 60 percent of the French public, and 64 percent of its "elites," now believe the heart of the problem in the Middle East is the conflict between moderates and extremists, with Israel on the side of the moderates.
2006-09-19 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive