A Report: American Attitudes Toward Israeli-Palestinian Relations in the Wake of the Uprising

Abstract

The Palestinian uprising which began in December 1987 has sparked the largest amount of polling on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute since the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the massacres of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila camps in 1982. (For surveys through October 1982 see de Boer, 1983; see also Erskine, 1969.) About a dozen polls on Israeli-Palestinian relations, some of them containing a substantial number of questions, appeared in the first half of 1988. They have showed that the American public (1) is closely divided about whether the Israeli reaction to the disturbances has been too harsh, (2) remains considerably more pro-Israel than pro-Arab or pro-Palestinian in its sympathies, (3) is inclined to approve a Palestinian homeland that does not threaten Israel's security, and (4) supports an active U.S. diplomatic role in the Middle East. These and other findings are reviewed in three sections. The first describes the public's perceptions of the Palestinian uprising and of Israel's reaction to it. The second section discusses recent measures of pro-Israel and pro-Arab sentiment, including changes in attitudes resulting from recent events. The third examines the public's preferences on how to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its support for an active U.S. role in that region.