ICEJ NEWS - 08/27/2001
A new poll of Americans indicates overwhelming support for Israel's targeting of terrorists before they strike again.

By better than a 4 -1 ratio, Americans support Israel's tough anti-terrorism strategy according to a new, bipartisan poll released this weekened by the America Middle East Information Network (AMEIN). "It's clear from this survey that the overwhelming majority of Americans share the Israeli view that terrorism is never justified and should be combated aggressively," said pollster Frank Luntz.

He added that "Republicans and Democrats agree on this: In the current spate of violence, Israel is the victim, not the perpetrator."

"This poll shows clearly that Americans, like Israelis, think terrorists should be regarded as soldiers waging war against civilians - and soldiers in a war face lethal force," said Jeffrey Pollock, whose firm assisted in the joint poll. "Also revealing is the fact that most Americans are viewing the Israelis as victims -- victims who have the right to use whatever means are necessary to defend themselves."

According to the poll, 73% of Americans believe that Israel is "justified" in "attempting to kill" a terrorist when "Israel has proof that a terrorist is planning a suicide bomb or other act of terrorism that is likely to result in the deaths of Israelis." In addition, 70% of Americans believe Israelis are "justified" in "attempting to kill" an individual when they have proof that individual had "carried out a terrorist act that killed Israelis and plans to strike again."

The poll also found that most Americans believe that terrorism is on the rise, and that Israelis are the most frequent victims. In addition, by almost a 4 - 1 margin, (42% to 11%), Americans are more sympathetic with the Israeli side than with the Palestinian side in the current conflict. This finding tracks with results from a Gallup survey conducted earlier this month.

Used with Permission from International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.