McLEAN, Va. (prn) – Even though over half of Americans think peace between Palestine and Israel is “very unlikely” during their lifetime, just as many strongly agree that the U.S. should “continue to broker peace” between the age-old enemies, according to a recent survey by research and consulting firm Wirthlin Worldwide.
According to the April 19-22 survey, 55 percent of Americans say that peace between Israel and Palestine is “very unlikely” during their lifetime, and an additional 18 percent say it is “somewhat unlikely.” Conversely, only 23 percent feel it is likely (16 percent “somewhat likely,” 7 percent “very likely”) that the two sides will reach a peace accord in their lifetime. Four percent are undecided.
When asked whether they feel the United States should continue trying to broker a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, seven in ten Americans (69%) say yes, with over half (51 percent) giving a “strong yes.” One in four feel the U.S. should not continue seeking peace between the two nations, with 18% answering strongly in the negative.
Dee Allsop, Executive Vice President of Wirthlin Worldwide, said, “Americans seem to possess a native optimism, a never-give-up attitude, which is especially reflected in these results. They place a high priority on peace in the world, even in the face of apparently impossible odds.”
There is no consensus on who is to blame for the fighting between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Thirty-four percent say the Palestinians are mostly to blame, 14 percent blame Israel, 12 percent say both sides are equally to blame and 29 percent don’t know. Conservative white males and people living in the Farm Belt are significantly more likely than other demographic groups to blame the Palestinians.
Americans are divided as to the effectiveness of Secretary of State Colin Powell’s recent diplomatic trip. Only 31% of Americans feel that Powell’s discussions with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (along with other leaders) have made the situation in the Middle East “better than it was before his trip,” while 19% feel the situation is now worse than before the trip, and 35% feel there has been no change. Additionally, a plurality of Americans (37%) feel that Powell’s trip was better than they had expected, while slightly fewer (30%) feel it was worse than they had expected.
Looking to the future, Americans are split as to how involved President George W. Bush should be in this matter. When asked if Bush should be more personally involved in Middle East peace efforts, 48% of Americans answer “yes,” while 46% answer “no.”
