Israel Matzav

Israelis want to speak 'truth to power'

Judith Apter Klinghoffer provides the results of a fascinating survey that shows that Israelis believe that hasbara (public relations) can be done better than it is currently being done and that they believe that the creation of a 'Palestinian state' won't help anything. Israelis believe that their government should be speaking 'truth to power' as Prime Minister Netanyahu did at the United Nations in September.

Here are the results of a recent poll taken by Israel's premier pollster, Dr. Mina Zemach, which she was king enough to share with me. Note the highlighted results of the last question:

Do you believe it is possible to explain to the non-Muslim world that Israel conquered Judea and Samaria in 1967 and it still there or it is not possible?
Yes - 65.1% No- 32.9% Don't know - 1.9%

Is it possible or impossible to Explain and justify the existence of Jewish settlement in the midst of the Palestinian population?
Yes - 54.4% No - 37.9% Don't know - 7.7%

Is it possible to explain and justify in the non-Muslim world the Gaza operation?
Yes - 85.6% No - 12.2% Don't know - 2.3%

Do you think Israel should or should not have cooperated with the Goldstone Report?
Yes - 32.4% No - 39% Don't know - 28.6%

...

Would the creation of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria improve Israel's ability to explain itself to the world or not?
Yes - 40.6% No - 51.5% Don't know - 7.9%

The poll was taken on Oct. 1. It is based on a sample of 485 adults and has a 4.8% margin of error.

Unfortunately, much of the foreign ministry bureaucracy disagrees with the survey results. Maybe Dr. Zemach should have added a question asking whether Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman should fire any of his predecessors' appointments at the Foreign Ministry.

Read the whole thing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:30 PM