by Jeffrey M. Jones
Page: 1, 2 Next GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Most Americans say the United States should not take either side in the current conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah group in Lebanon. Still, a new USA Today/Gallup poll finds that half of Americans say the development of peace in the Middle East should be a very important U.S. foreign policy goal. More Americans disapprove than approve of the way George W. Bush has handled the situation, and most do not believe the Bush administration has a clear plan in regards to the Middle East. Forty-nine percent of Americans are very concerned that the U.S. military will be drawn into the conflict.
Taking Sides
Sixty-five percent of Americans favor a neutral U.S. position in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, according to the July 21-23 poll. Thirty-one percent say the United States should take Israel's side, while less than 1% believes the United States should side with Hezbollah.
Americans have long favored a neutral U.S position in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, so the current results are in line with past opinion on similar matters. However, the 31% of Americans who favor a pro-Israeli stance in regards to the Hezbollah situation is higher than what Gallup has typically observed in the past for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and even exceeds the support for Israel on this measure recorded immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Not all Americans are equally in favor of neutrality between Israel and Hezbollah. Republicans, who have shown strong support for Israel in Gallup polls over the last several years, are twice as likely as Democrats or independents to say the United States should side with Israel. In fact, a greater percentage of Republicans support a pro- Israel stance than a neutral one.
The poll asked Americans how concerned they were about various events happening as a result of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Of the six items tested, Americans expressed the greatest concern that the U.S. military will be drawn into the conflict, with 49% saying they are very concerned about this. Forty-four percent are very concerned that the fighting will increase the likelihood of terrorism against the United States. A slightly smaller percentage expressed worry about broader wars erupting in the Middle East.
Seeking Middle East Peace
Despite favoring a neutral position in the current conflict, Americans do see a role for the United States in helping to achieve Middle East peace. According to the poll, half say "the development of a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli situation" should be a very important foreign policy goal of the United States. An additional 35% say it is somewhat important, and only 15% do not believe it is important. These results are little changed from June 2003, when the question was last asked.
Since the 9/11 terror attacks, there has been a growing sense that the United States should make Middle East peace a priority. Prior to 9/11, an average of 40% of Americans thought this should be a very important U.S. foreign policy goal. Since then, an average of 52% has said so.
Republicans, independents, and Democrats are about equally likely to endorse assigning a high priority to Middle East peace on the U.S. foreign policy agenda.
The United States Response
So far, Americans are giving George W. Bush low marks for his handling of the situation. Just 37% approve and 56% disapprove of how he has handled "the situation in the Middle East." That matches Bush's overall job approval rating of 37%, suggesting he is rated no better, or worse, on this specific issue than he is more generally.
Those who are following the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict closely give Bush more favorable evaluations -- 41% approve of his handling the situation in the Middle East, compared with 28% who are not following it closely.
Americans do not think the Bush administration has a clear and well- thought out policy on the Middle East. Sixty-seven percent say it does not, while 27% believe it does. Gallup last asked this question in June 2002, at which time 35% said the Bush administration had a clear and well-thought out Middle East policy.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,005 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted July 21-23, 2006. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
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