Barbara Ferguson, Arab News Correspondent

WASHINGTON, 21 December 2003 — A recent pro-Israeli organization survey of American attitudes toward the Middle East says Americans believe by a two-to-one margin their government should back Israel even if it increases chances of a terrorist attacks against the US.

But the poll also showed the majority of Americans, 44 percent to 31 percent, said Americans should work with Arab nations for peace even if it weakens US relations with Israel.

The survey, conducted earlier this month and released this week by the pro-Israeli Anti-Defamation League (ADL), reveals skepticism about the current Israeli approach to peace in the Middle East, as well as a widespread sense of threat from other countries in the world.

On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when asked, “In the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians which side do you sympathize with more?” 40 percent said Israel, 15 percent said the Palestinians, 11 percent said both and 24 percent said neither.

Asked, “Who do you think is more responsible for the current violence in the Middle East: the Israelis or the Palestinians?”, 39 percent blamed the Palestinians, 16 percent blamed the Israelis, 27 percent said both, and 6 percent said neither.

When asked, “How serious is Israel about wanting to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians?” Seventy percent said they believed Israel was serious (25 percent very serious plus 45 percent somewhat serious), 30 percent not serious. The same question asked about the Palestinians, showed that 46 percent believed they were serious, while 43 percent found them not serious about reaching a peace agreement with Israel.

When asked about how they feel about Ariel Sharon, 42 percent said that the Israelis and their leader are genuinely interested in reaching a long term peace agreement; 36 percent thought the real goal of Sharon and Israel is to squeeze the Palestinians into the smallest territory possible.

A similar question was asked about the Palestinians and Yasser Arafat; 25 percent felt they were genuinely interested in reaching peace, while 57 percent believe the real goal of Arafat and the Palestinian leadership is to destroy Israel.

Regarding the US-Israeli relationship, 59 percent believe the US and Israel are correct in their decision to stop dealing with Arafat because he has refused or been unable to stop the terror attacks against Israel.

An overwhelming majority of Americans — 75 percent — believe the US has a special relationship with Israel because of the shared values, including commitment to freedom and democracy. Sixty-one percent believe that Israel can be counted on as a strong ally of the US.

Seventy-three percent agree that the US is more likely to be targeted for terrorist attack because of support for Israel, a majority — 62 percent — believe that the US should continue supporting Israel, even if it means a greater risk of terrorist attacks against America.” Americans also said the most threatening countries were North Korea, at 77 percent; Iran, at 76 percent; and Iraq, which also ranked 76 percent even though the war was over when the poll was held.