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 n 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.”



Comment: As a resident of Israel I can confirm that we in Israel do not support "settlement" freeze. Furthermore, we understand that at this time no "partner" exists for another Arab nation to be developed. Now, if they, the J-Street group, believe it is in the best interest of Israel to validate and empower a group of terrorists who have to this day stated they want the destruction of Israel then they are ignorant of the facts on the ground. If they believe we should honor a culture that promotes the destruction of Israel via daily media, academic and school program indoctrination, then they continue to display their ignorance. Correction for american Jews: the so-called "settlements" are towns, townships, and cities inhabited by Israeli citizens. The continued use of incorrect terms demonstrates either ignorance of a specific political agenda.