The Times Poll : U.S. Jews for Peace Talks on Mideast

American Jews overwhelmingly support the U.S. proposal for an international peace conference on the Middle East, favor increased autonomy for Palestinians and believe that both Israeli and Arab attitudes must change for peace to occur, a Los Angeles Times Poll has found. They also have a more favorable impression of Secretary of State George P. Shultz than of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir.

Moreover, 41% of Jews and 65% of non-Jews “feel that there is an element of racism involved in the attitude of Israelis towards Arabs,” and only one out three non-Jews has a “favorable” impression of the Israeli government. Both groups, however, are more sympathetic to Israelis than Palestinians and are highly disapproving of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

A majority of non-Jews (52%) favors U.S. negotiations with the PLO, however, and 50% would approve a Palestinian homeland in the occupied territories; 29% of Jews supported both American talks with the PLO and establishment of a national home for the Palestinians.

Backing of Israel Is High

Although the poll demonstrates that support for Israel remains high among Jewish and non-Jewish Americans and has not appreciably declined, it reveals an equally strong desire for Israel “to come to some sort of accommodation with the Arabs in the occupied territories.”

Fully two-thirds of American Jews favor accommodation with the Palestinians as opposed to transferring the Arab population to another country--a proposal increasingly discussed on the Israeli right--or simply giving up the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The numbers are similar for non-Jews, but there is disagreement over just how this accommodation might occur.

Although a plurality of non-Jews favors a settlement of the Middle East conflict that calls for Israel to give up the occupied territories in exchange for Arab recognition of Israel, Jews turn down this “land for peace plan” by a 43%-31% margin.

Profound Dismay Seen

Like so many of the survey’s other findings, all this suggests that both Jews and non-Jews are in the grips of a profound dismay over the recent months of violence in the occupied territories. This feeling has, in turn, produced views that are far more nuanced by a sense of contradiction and complexity than most analysts have thought. Moreover, Jewish-Americans are neither so preoccupied with the Mideast nor so monolithic in their thinking nor so different from non-Jews as usually is thought.

Although conventional political wisdom regards U.S. support for Israel as one of the most sensitive campaign issues, 60% of Jewish-Americans and 85% of non-Jews said they were “not sure of their candidate’s stand on the issue.” Only 1% of Jews and 2% of non-Jews said they would switch their vote if they discovered they disagreed with their preferred candidate’s stand on Israel.

And, despite the prominence of influential Jewish intellectuals among the Reagan Administration’s neoconservative supporters, Jewish-Americans remain committed to political liberalism (41%) and the Democratic Party (56%). Twenty-seven percent say they are moderates and 17% are self-described conservatives. Jews overwhelmingly prefer Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis to all other Democratic candidates, and 45% said they would vote for him in a primary as compared to 14% for Vice President George Bush, the probable Republican nominee.

Although only 4% of Jews said that they would vote for Jesse Jackson as their first choice, as opposed to 13% of non-Jews, a surprising 35% of Jews reported a favorable impression of Jackson, who has been criticized by Jewish leaders in the past. More than half of non-Jews reported a favorable impression of the civil rights leader.

The survey, which was conducted by Times Poll Director I. A. Lewis, is the widest ranging measure of Jewish and non-Jewish opinion on the Middle East and related issues since the current unrest among Palestinian Arabs began. It was conducted by telephone between March 26 and April 7 and sampled a much larger and more representative number of Jews than is generally the case in national opinion surveys. No polling was done on the Jewish Sabbath or the first two days of the Passover holiday. For purposes of the survey, anyone who identified himself as brought up in the Jewish faith or who considered himself or herself Jewish was counted as such.

Needed Large Sample

“We set out to obtain a scientific representation of American Jewry, which is extremely difficult,” Lewis said. “This required obtaining a large enough sample in order to accurately portray the complexity and diversity of Jewish opinion.

“Because Jews make up about 2 1/2% of the American population, they are 40 times harder to come by in a random fashion. To obtain our sample of 1,018 representative Jews, we went through lists of over 200,000 names that we had surveyed over the years and ultimately contacted more than 50,000. We also obtained a representative sample of 1,110 non-Jews. The margin of error for our findings is 4% in either direction for both samples.”

What emerges is the profile of an active, committed Jewish community increasingly polarized and concerned about the direction of events involving Israel.

For example, Jews were evenly split over the highly contentious issue of whether they “should support Israel in public even when they disagree in private.” Younger Jews--those under 41--disagreed with that statement and endorsed public criticism 3 to 2.

On the other hand, half of Jews believe “criticism of the treatment of Palestinians in Israel is anti-Israel,” but more than a third do not.

Jews do not define their Jewishness in any predictable or conventional ways: Only one out of four Jews said he or she attends Sabbath services at least once a month; two-thirds said they attended religious services on the high holy days. Fifty-six percent said they did not contribute financially to Israel last year, and nearly two-thirds have no affiliation with a Jewish organization other than a synagogue.

‘Social Equality’ Important

Four out of five Jews polled said that being Jewish was very important in their own lives. However, 50% of Jews cited “a commitment to social equality” as being the characteristic most important to their Jewish identity, 17% cited religious observance and 17% support for Israel.

Only a third of Jews regard “Israeli unrest” as the news story they have “been paying the most attention to lately,” an opinion shared by just 3% of the non-Jews polled.

There is, moreover, a sharp divergence between Jews and non-Jews over media coverage of recent events in the Middle East. Fifty-six percent of Jews say they think the media has offered a distorted view, which has made the Palestinians look better than they are; only 21% think the media have been fair and 7% feel the media have made the Palestinians look worse. By contrast, a plurality of non-Jews (43%) believes the media coverage has been fair. Those critical of the media are evenly split (11% to 13%) over whether the Palestinians have been made to look better or worse.

Although Jews seem to feel that the media have been unfair to Israel, a plurality of 46% rejects New York City Mayor Edward I. Koch’s proposal that the Israeli government “ban the press from areas where Palestinian disturbances might take place.” Forty percent of Jews agree with Koch’s suggestion. Non-Jews reject the notion by a 59%-23% margin.

Split Over Israeli Image

Both Jews and non-Jews are about evenly divided over whether the Israeli government has a poor or good image in the United States. Only a small group (7% of Jews and 5% of non-Jews) finds it “very good.” Fifty-two percent of Jews attribute Israel’s poor image to “public relations” problems, 28% cite unacceptable Israeli actions and 14% think it can be ascribed to both. But 47% of non-Jews blame unacceptable Israeli actions. Only 36% of non-Jews cite public relations and 8% find it to be both.

The fact that 42% of Jews and more than half of non-Jews at least in part blame unacceptable Israeli actions for the erosion of support for Israel in the United States might have serious implications for future U.S.-Israel relations.

Thirty-four percent of Americans, for example, would like to see a reduction in U.S. military aid to Israel.

Events since the Lebanon invasion, including the Iran-Contra hearings, the Pollard spy case and the uprising in the occupied territories have influenced the views of non-Jews toward Israel more greatly than the views of Jews. Although a tenth of Jews have decided on their opinion of Israel in that period, four in 10 non-Jews have.

Many analysts and leaders of Jewish organizations have expressed apprehension that criticism of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians may fuel an increase in anti-Semitism. Others go further and argue that criticism of Israeli government policies actually reflects concealed anti-Semitism.

Hypothetical Candidates

The Times survey approached this question in two ways: First, respondents were given descriptions of two hypothetical presidential candidates, Mr. A and Mr. B, and asked to choose between them.

Mr. A won the election. However, when respondents were also told that Mr. A was Jewish, his support declined by 31 points.

Respondents later were asked whether they thought Jews had “too much” political power and were “more loyal to Israel than to the United States.” These questions have been used by pollsters for many years to measure anti-Semitic feeling. By repeating them and comparing the response to previous findings, it was possible to determine whether such prejudice has increased. The Times found that, although anti-Semitism certainly exists among Americans, it has not increased in the face of recent events.

However, there are clear indications of a decline in sympathy for Israel among non-Jews as compared to Jews.

When asked if, in recent months, their sympathies have been more with the government of Israel or more with the Palestinians, the vast majority of Jews remains sympathetic to Israel despite the disturbances in the occupied territories. Only 36% of non-Jews come down on the Israeli side, a quarter say their sympathies are with the Palestinians and 9% with both.

Generational Differences

On this question, Jews seem split along generational lines. Within the Jewish group, younger people tended to be somewhat less sympathetic toward Israel as opposed to older Jews. Twenty-seven percent of younger Jews said they felt equally or more sympathetic to the Palestinians as compared to 17% of older Jews.

A quarter of younger Jews have a worse opinion of Israel as a result of recent events, and one fifth of older Jews do. Fewer than one in 10 in either group has a better view. This suggests that, although most Jews are willing to tolerate the Israeli crackdown on Palestinian disturbances as a necessary measure, few are enthusiastic about its consequences.

A third of younger and older Jews are agreed that disturbances among Palestinians are acts of civil disobedience, as opposed to acts of war against the government of Israel, as the government there insists.

This suggests that a significant minority of Jewish opinion rejects the Israeli government’s public rationale for its hard line on Palestinian unrest. In fact, although the Times Poll found consistently strong support for Israel among Jewish-Americans, there is an increasingly critical minority willing to say it is unhappy with the Israeli government’s direction. On a number of issues, this minority’s size and views of Israel are practically identical with those of non-Jews.

Indeed, slightly more Jews (27%) than non-Jews (24%) say that the foreign and domestic policies of the state of Israel over the last several years have become less acceptable to them. Eleven percent of Jews find those policies more acceptable, and only 6% of non-Jews do.

Weakening of Ties Seen

A quarter of Jews and non-Jews believe the current confrontations between Palestinians in the occupied territories and the Israeli authorities may lead to a weakening of the relationship between the United States and Israel.

Non-Jews are closely divided on whether their current impression of Israel’s government is favorable (33%) or unfavorable (29%), but Jews are favorably impressed, by a 70%-18% margin. Both groups are more favorably impressed with the Israeli people than with the Palestinians. Neither group is favorably impressed with the PLO; in fact, 52% of non-Jews and 82% of Jews said their view of the organization is unfavorable.

But there was a sharp divergence in the two groups on whether the United States should negotiate with the PLO. A majority of non-Jews (52%) said the United States should reverse its long-standing policy and talk with the PLO, and 29% of Jews said yes but 61% said no.

However, over 60% of each group favors Secretary of State Shultz’s plan for an international Middle East peace conference, a concept endorsed by the Israeli Labor Party but not by the Likud Bloc, the other partner in Israel’s governing coalition.

Similarly, more Jewish-Americans (57%) have a favorable impression of Labor’s leader, Shimon Peres, than they do of Likud’s leader, Yitzhak Shamir (49%). Seventy percent, in fact, are favorably impressed with Secretary of State Shultz. Most non-Jews are unaware of either Peres or Shamir, with about 20% holding favorable impressions.

Jews and non-Jews alike seemed to reject the notion that the intransigence of one side is the primary obstacle to Mideast peace. When asked whether Arabs or Israelis would have to change their attitudes before peace can come to the Middle East, a large majority (80%) of non-Jews said both sides must change. Among the Jews,86% said the Arabs would have to change their attitudes, but a surprisingly strong 65% also said that Israeli attitudes must change.

Although both groups believe this Israeli change should involve “some sort of accommodation with the Arabs in the occupied territory,” 45% of Jews feel this could take the form of increased Palestinian autonomy on the West Bank and in Gaza.

The poll indicates, however, that Jews tend to have a more limited notion of Palestinian autonomy than non-Jews. When asked if they favored giving the Palestinians “a homeland of their own” in the occupied territories, non-Jews said yes by a 50%-18% margin; Jews opposed it, 45% to 29%.

On the question of what impact recent events may have on Israeli democracy, there seems to be another convergence of Jewish andnon-Jewish opinion. A third of Jews (35%) and non-Jews (35%) think that continued occupation of the West Bank “will erode Israel’s democratic and humanitarian character.” Forty-five percent of Jews do not expect that to happen, and 32% of non-Jews agree with them.

An overwhelming majority of non-Jews and a plurality of Jews believe Israeli society suffers from bigotry toward Arabs. When asked, “Do you feel that there is an element of racism involved in the attitude of Israelis towards Arabs?” 65% of non-Jews and 41% of Jews said they did.

Despite these perceptions, Jews strongly rejected any comparison between Israel’s behavior and that of South Africa, with only 11% of the younger Jews and 10% of the older saying it was a fair comparison. A solid majority of non-Jews agreed the comparison was unsound, although one in four found it fair to compare “the way Israel treats Palestinians to the way the white government treats blacks in South Africa,” and 19% were not sure.

Times researcher Nina Green contributed to this story.

SELECTED RESULTS OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES POLL Land for Peace Should Israel give up the occupied territories in exchange for Arab recognition of Israel as part of a settlement of the Middle East conflict?

Non- Jews Jews Haven’t heard 8% 37% enough Approve 31 28 Disapprove 43 22 Not sure 10 11 Refused 8 2

Jewish Presidential Candidate Which hypothetical candidate would you like to see as President? Description of candidates as read to group 1 .

Mr. A: He is about 55 years old, he was born and raised in Portland, Ore., he is married with two children and is a businessman.

Mr. B: He is about 60 years old, he was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, he is married with one child and his career has been as an attorney.

Non- Jews Jews Mr. A. 36% 47% Mr. B. 27 34 Not sure 24 14 Refused 13 5

Description of candidates as read to group 2 .

Mr. A: He is about 55 years old, he was born and raised in Portland, Ore., he is Jewish, is married with two children and is a businessman.

Mr. B: He is about 60 years old, he was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, he is married with one child and his career has been as an attorney.

Non- Jews Jews Mr. A. 32% 26% Mr. B. 19 44 Not sure 30 23 Refused 19 7

Israeli Treatment of Palestinians and Arabs How large a part of your feeling about Israel is involved in the way the government has been treating the Palestinians recently?

Non- Jews Jews Very large part 17% 12% Fairly large part 21 17 Fairly small part 17 21 Very small part 31 33 Not sure 12 15 Refused 2 2

Do you feel there is an element of racism involved in the attitude of Israelis toward Arabs?

Non- Jews Jews Yes 41% 65% No 47 16 Not sure 9 18 Refused 3 1

Is it fair to compare the way Israel treats Palestinians to the way the white government treats blacks in South Africa?

Non- Jews Jews Fair 10% 25% Unfair 82 55 Not sure 5 19 Refused 3 1

U.S. Support for Israel Do you favor strong U.S. support for the government of Israel?

Non- Jews Jews Favor 85% 27% Oppose 3 23 Don’t know 12 50

Do you think the United States government should step up its military aid to Israel?

Non- Jews Jews Step up 20% 8% Same level 65 47 Cut down 6 34 Not sure 6 10 Refused 3 1

The PLO Should the United States negotiate with the PLO ?

Non- Jews Jews Yes 29% 52% No 61 34 Not sure 4 12 Refused 6 2

American Media Coverage Do you think the American press has been fair in its coverage of the Palestinian resistance, or do you think it has distorted what has been happening?

Orthodox Conservative Reform Non-Affiliated Fair 3% 19% 24% 32% Distorted 80 62 53 42 Don’t know 17 19 23 26

Jewish Support for Israel Do you think Jews should support Israel in public even when they disagree in private?

Orthodox Conservative Reform Non-Affiliated Yes 49% 54% 42% 29% No 43 36 51 58 Not sure 7 5 5 10 Refused 1 5 2 3