[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: J-Street misrepresented the Dahaf poll they
themselves quoted:
Anyone reading the Dahaf (Dr.Mina Tzemach) poll for Yediot Ahronot would realize that there is a problem with citing the headline making result.
When Dr. Tzemach asked Israelis "Should Netanyahu accept Obama's demands or
reject them even at the cost of sanctions" without citing what the demands
were she yielded the result of Yes 56% No 40%. But in the very same
poll,when she asked "Should construction for natural growth be permitted in the settlements?" the results were Yes 54% No 42%.
So the poll J Street cites also finds that the Israeli public opposes
Obama's demands to freeze settlement construction for "natural growth".]
NEWS RELEASE
Zionist Organization of America
Jacob & Libby Goodman ZOA House, 4 East 34th Street, New York, N.Y. 10016
(212) 481-1500 Fax: (212) 481-1515 email@zoaorg www.zoa.org
June 22, 2009
Contact Morton A. Klein at: 917-974-8795 or 212-481-1500
Attn: NEWS EDITOR
FAR-LEFT J STREET MISLEADINGLY CLAIMS ISRAELIS SUPPORT OBAMA'S DEMAND FOR A
JEWISH CONSTRUCTION FREEZE IN JUDEA, SAMARIA & EASTERN J'LEM
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has expressed criticism and
concern regarding misleading statements made by the far-left lobby, J
Street, which recently claimed that a majority of Israelis support the Obama
Administration's pressure on Israel to agree to a freeze on Jewish
construction in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. The ZOA has pointed to
two other recent polls - one by Smith Research, the other by Magaar Mohot -
indicating the exact opposite, as well as other results in the very same
Dahaf Institute poll which J Street cited in support of its false claim.
In an email to supporters, J Street's Campaign Director, Isaac Luria,
claimed last week that "Israelis want the President to stand up to the
[Jewish] settlers, too. A poll released recently showed that 52% of Israelis
want a freeze on settlement construction and 56% want Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyahu to agree to President Obama's call for an end to settlement
construction." The poll referred to by Luria is the Dahaf Institute poll,
sponsored by the Israeli daily, Yediot Ahronot, which also showed, however,
the following results:
· 53 percent of Israelis believe that President Obama's policies are
not good for Israel, as against only 26 percent who think that they are;
· 51 percent of Israelis believe that President Obama cares more
about Palestinian desires for statehood than Israel's security, as opposed
to only 22 percent who believe the opposite (Gil Hoffman, 'Poll: 53% think
Obama's policies bad for Israel,' Jerusalem Post, June 8, 2009).
J Street did not mention these other findings, which cannot be ignored when
claiming that Israelis support a construction freeze. When the same Dahaf
poll shows that Israelis believe 53 percent - 26 percent that President
Barack Obama's policies are not good for Israel, and that they believe 51
percent - 22 percent that Obama cares more for Palestinian desires for
statehood than Israeli security, then it is simply dishonest for J Street to
assert that there is majority Israeli support Obama's call for a
construction freeze. In reality, all this poll shows is that most Israelis
believe that Israel should give in to the Obama Administration's demands for
a freeze, not that they actually think a freeze is a good idea. To the
contrary, this poll demonstrates that they think it is a bad idea -and so do
other recent polls.
In another recent poll, conducted by the Smith Research and sponsored by the
Jerusalem Post, it was found that more than two-thirds of Israelis - 69
percent - oppose freezing construction within large Jewish communities in
Judea and Samaria, like Gush Etzion, Ma'aleh Adumim and Ariel, whereas only
27 percent of Israelis support the idea (Gil Hoffman, '6% see US
administration as pro-Israel,' Jerusalem Post, June 19, 2009).
Similarly, a Magaar Mochot poll this month also showed that Israelis support
by 56 percent to 37 percent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repudiation
of President Obama's demand that Israel freeze all Jewish construction and
growth in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem ('Maagar Mochot Poll finds
Israelis want PM Netanyahu to reject President Obama's demands,' Independent
Media & Review Analysis, June 11, 2009).
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "There is little doubt that the
polls cited show that Israelis do not support a construction freeze - in
other words, the truth is the exact opposite of what J Street claimed in its
email to be the case. Not only do the recent Smith Research and Magaar
Mochot polls show clearly that Israelis oppose the Obama Administration's
call for a settlement freeze, but even the Dahaf poll J Street cited
contains other findings that show that Israelis who do support a freeze
comprise in substantial part people who do so with deep misgivings.
"It is scandalous for J Street to mislead the public in this way, to ignore
poll results that disprove its claim and to base their claim on a selective
reading of another poll.
"It is therefore vital for American Jews to know that groups that hold
themselves out as being pro-Israeli, but which are in reality keen for the
U.S. to pressure Israel into creating a Palestinian state on its doorstep,
one which will not accept or live in peace with it and which will be a
terror state, deceive the public by asserting that Israelis actually support
a freeze on Jewish construction.
"The American Jewish community and pro-Israeli groups of all political
complexions should treat with the utmost skepticism claims made by J Street
and other organizations masquerading as pro-Israel groups that seek to
convince people that Israelis themselves approve of the Obama Administration's
pressure on Israel."
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