April 12, 2005 Poll: US Jews in favor of disengagement By URIEL HEILMAN NEW YORK Even as a majority of American Jews support Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from Gaza and some parts of the West Bank, most say they are unsure the withdrawal will make Israel any safer, a new poll shows. In a poll of 501 American Jews conducted last week by Hebrew University sociologist Steven M. Cohen, 65 percent voiced support for Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, and 23 percent opposed it. At the same time, 62 percent said they were unsure disengagement would make Israel any safer, though 55 percent said it would help bring Israelis and Palestinians closer to a peace agreement. The poll's results mirror those of Israeli Jews, who overwhelmingly support the disengagement plan but have doubts about its efficacy in reducing future Palestinian violence against Israelis. In a poll conducted last month, 65 percent of 602 Israelis surveyed by the Harry Truman peace institute at Hebrew University said they support Sharon's disengagement plan, though 58 percent said full Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip would not reduce attacks against Israelis. "American Jews stand squarely with Israel as it prepares to take great risks for peace," said Kenneth Bob, president of the American Zionist group Ameinu, which sponsored last week's poll of US Jews. When it comes to dismantling settlements in the West Bank, US Jewish support for withdrawal is tepid. Of those polled, 42 percent said they support dismantling most West Bank settlements, versus 29 percent opposed. Twenty-nine percent said they were not sure. Nearly 75 percent of those surveyed said the United States should push both sides toward a peace agreement even in the face of objections by Israelis or Palestinians. The survey also showed differences between Jewish denominations, with 57 percent of Reform Jews surveyed saying the United States should push Israel to be more conciliatory toward the Palestinians, compared to 33 percent among Orthodox, 43 percent among Conservative and 53 percent among those classified as "Other." Additionally, 69 percent of Reform Jews surveyed said the United States should push the Palestinians to be more conciliatory toward Israel, compared with 85 percent of Orthodox, 74 percent of Conservative and 52 percent of "Others" surveyed. On the question of whether the US should be more "even-handed" in its approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 43 percent of Reform said yes, 35 of Conservative said yes, 15 percent of Orthodox said yes and 56 percent of "Other" Jews said yes. Sixteen percent of those surveyed said they contribute money to a group that criticizes Israel for being too conciliatory to the Palestinians, and 16 percent said they contribute money to groups that criticize Israel for not being sufficiently forthcoming to the Palestinians. Other polls released recently show Americans generally believe that unilateral Israeli withdrawal will advance the cause of peace. A recent Anti-Defamation League survey showed most Americans continue to support Israel over the Palestinians; that the Israeli government's favorable rating is at its highest level in more than a decade, and that almost twice as many Americans have a favorable view of Sharon as those with an unfavorable view of him.