When did YOU visit Israel last?

I have just returned at the beginning of the month from my annual visit to Israel.
Wrote a pictorial essay: Eilat 2003 ( https://trafael.tripod.com/eilat.html ). Most pics are not mine but they show the beauty of the country.

On the last page I comment on the changing face of Israel.

Enjoy!

Crossposted @ Israpundit.com



Anti-Israeli picture bias in the media


Disgustingly lowly, Israeli leaders and particularly Sharon are shown in the media frowning, somber or grim- faced.

On the other hand Arafat and his clan largely have a grandfatherly grin plastered on their faces.

Pervasively subliminal.

Crossposted @ NYTimesProtest.com



Facts vs. Arab confabulations

This is video shot from a drone (1 MB) during IDF's Gaza strike which disproves the usual arab lies about a massacre.
From IDF's website.

Crossposted @ Mideasttruth.com



Subject: Landmark Survey of Israelis, Israeli-Arabs & Palestinians:
Profound Palestinian Distrust of and Dislike for America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION:
October 22, 2003 Ben Clarke 703-358-0080

Landmark Survey of Israelis, Israeli-Arabs & Palestinians: Profound
Palestinian Distrust of and Dislike for America

An overwhelming 95% of Jews in Israel support the United States in the
War on Iraq; 74% of Palestinians support Saddam Hussein


In perhaps the most comprehensive comparative study of Israelis,
Israeli-Arabs and Palestinians to date, it is distinctly clear that they
have vastly divergent views on issues ranging from 9/11 to the War on Iraq
to the current Roadmap for Peace.

Consider the following key findings:

- 96% of Jews in Israel believe that the people who flew planes into New
York's World Trade Center were terrorists; a mere 37% of Palestinians share
that view; in addition, 26% of Palestinians believe Israelis planned the
9/11 attacks.

- 42% of Palestinians and 61% of Israeli-Arabs stated that they 'support'
the people who are attacking American troops in Iraq right now. Zero
percent of Israeli Jews hold that view.

- 36% of Palestinians believe that the United States poses the greatest
threat to world peace; 51% stated that Israel poses the greatest threat to
world peace.

The survey was released today by Itamar Marcus, founder of Palestinian Media
Watch (www.pmw.org.il), written by pollster Frank Luntz and conducted by
PORI (The Public Opinion Research of Israel) and The Palestinian Center for
Public Opinion. The survey consisted of interviews with 600 Israeli Jews,
400 Israeli Arabs and 607 Palestinians and was fielded between the dates of
September 21st and September 27th. Israel has approximately six million
Jewish citizens and more than one million citizens who are Arabs.

"There are those in America who urge Washington to take what they call 'a
balanced approach' to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," said pollster Frank
Luntz. "The problem is, there is absolutely no balance between Palestinians
and Israelis when it comes to their views of the United States. The
American people are not going to be happy, and will certainly not want a
balanced approach, when they learn that more than 40% of Palestinians
support the people attacking and killing American soldiers in Iraq."

"These results are a product of the Palestinians being taught for years by
their leaders to see the US as an archenemy to be loathed and fought," says
Itamar Marcus, of Palestinian Media Watch who sponsored the poll. "While PA
officials are accepted in Washington as colleagues and even allies, the PA's
message in Arabic is to hate and kill Americans. The Americans were murdered
in Gaza by Palestinians fulfilling their role to wage war against Americans,
as they have openly been taught by their leaders."

Although Israelis, Israeli-Arabs and Palestinians live side-by-side, their
attitudes, opinions and most basic beliefs are often diametrically opposed.

For example:

- 75% of Israeli Jews and 71% of Israeli-Arabs, but only 41% of Palestinians
"strongly agree" that "men and women are equal and society should treat mean
and women exactly the same."

- 83% of Israelis "strongly agree" that "terrorism is NEVER justified under
any circumstances." By comparison, only 58% of Israeli-Arabs and 34% of
Palestinians hold a similar view.

- Fully 90% of Jews in Israel strongly agree that Hamas is "a terrorist
group," compared to only 16% of Israeli-Arabs and 5% of Palestinians.

"Palestinian support for terrorism is a direct result of their government
teaching that violence and terror are valid tools to achieve political
goals," explains Marcus. "Even the so-called moderates of PA leaders, Hanan
Ashrawi and Sari Nusseibeh, hold this view, as they explicitly stated a year
ago. In the PA, all agree that the killing of Israelis civilians is valid
if it would further their political goals. The debate between the
"moderates" and the masses has only been about whether it has been
productive."

The survey also cast grave doubts on the prospects for a lasting peace in
the region. Although an equal 40% of Jews in Israel and 40% of Palestinians
see a possibility for peace, the two sides are still quite divided in their
priorities. For example:

- 99% of Israelis consider bombings of Israeli buses and restaurants to be
acts of terrorism, while only 10% of Palestinians would agree.

- 47% of Jewish Israelis rank "peace" as their highest value. By
comparison, only 23% of Palestinians choose peace first.

- 46% of Palestinians characterize Israelis as the 'enemy' and 31% believe
that Allah wants Muslims to fight Jews. Moreover, 59% of Palestinians feel
Hamas and Islamic Jihad should NOT give up their armed struggle against
Israel even if Israel were to leave all territories, including East
Jerusalem, and grant statehood to the Palestinians.

"This poll shows that the United States needs to continue - in fact, greatly
expand - its public diplomacy efforts in the Middle East, including among
Palestinian Arabs," said Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA). "The prospects
for peace in the region will greatly improve if attitudes change."

"We need to strip away the public fictions about the Palestinian
government," former Ambassador Richard Carlson went on to say. "These
polling figures reflect the years of political incitement and indoctrination
of the Palestinian people, not just the hateful drumbeat against Israel but
against America, equally." Carlson currently serves as Vice Chairman for
the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

Palestinians, Israeli-Arabs and Jewish Israelis all overwhelmingly believe
that democracy is the best form of government. However, each group defines
"democracy" differently. Nearly 8 in 10 Jews in Israel believe that their
political system should be a 'democratic regime in which all the political
ideas are represented.' When asked exactly the same question, only 33% of
Palestinians agreed. In fact, one in five Palestinians support the
establishment of an Islamic single-party government.

"What's truly unique about this survey is that it asks either identical or
parallel questions of the three populations," said Luntz. "This offers
observers of the Middle East a perfect opportunity to analyze beliefs and
opinions across the full spectrum of participants."

"In reading the results," Luntz added, "it is clear that for peace to
happen, the culture of hate that causes Palestinians to accept terrorism
will have to be replaced by educating for peace. I am pessimistic about the
prospects for peace. The divide between the populations is just too great,
even in the definition of the words used. A terrorist that kills 20 Israeli
women and children is a 'freedom fighter' to half of the Palestinian
population. How can you have peace under these circumstances?" Luntz
concluded.

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE SUMMARY FOLLOWS

PORI Public Opinion & marketing Research of Israel, 2000 Ltd.
Middle East Survey (Media Summary)

N = 600 Israeli Jews - 400 Israeli Arabs - 607 Palestinians
Margin of Error (600 Sample +/- 4%) (400 Sample +/- 4.9%)
September 2003

1. First, in your opinion, which nation or people is the single greatest
threat to WORLD peace? I need you to pick only one nation or people you
think is the single greatest threat to WORLD peace.
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians
IRAN 52%/ 3%/ 1%/
PALESTINIANS 8%/ 5%/ 1%
IRAQ 7%/ 1%/ 1%
MOSLEMS IN GENERAL 6%/ ------/ ------
UNITED STATES 4%/ 40%/ 36%
SYRIA 3%/ ------/ ------
SAUDI ARABIA 3%/ ------/ 1%
NORTH KOREA 2%/ 1%/ 1%
ISRAEL 2%/ 26%/ 51%
ALL ARAB COUNTRIES 2%/ ------/ ------
CHINA 1%/ 1%/ 1%
OTHER 4%/ 4%/ 2%
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 9%/ 22%/ 7%

2. In the war between the United States and Saddam
Hussein, whom did you support?
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

STRONGLY HUSSEIN ------/ 21%/ 50%
MOSTLY HUSSEIN ------/ 17%/ 24%
MOSTLY UNITED STATES 22%/ 10%/ 6%
STRONGLY UNITED STATES 73%/ 9%/ 4%
DON'T KNOW 5%/ 44%/ 16%

3. And in general, do you . the people who are attacking
American troops in Iraq right now.
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

STRONGLY SUPPORT ------/ 40%/ 26%
SOMEWHAT SUPPORT ------/ 21%/ 16%
SOMEWHAT OPPOSE 25%/ 12%/ 21%
STRONGLY OPPOSE 71%/ 15%/ 23%
DON'T KNOW 5%/ 12%/ 14%

4. In your opinion, were the people who flew planes
into New York's World Trade Center . ?
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians
TERRORISTS 96%/ 41%/ 37%
MARTYRS 3%/ 8%/ 22%
FREEDOM FIGHTERS ------/ 25%/ 14%
DON'T KNOW 1%/ 27%/ 27%

5. And who do you believe planned the 9/11 attacks
against the United States?
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians
OSAMA BIN LADEN 91%/ 34%/ 46%
SADDAM HUSSEIN 2%/ 1%/ 4%
THE UNITED STATES 1%/ 13%/ 6%
ISRAEL ------/ 11%/ 26%
SOMEONE ELSE 2%/ 2%/ 1%
DON'T KNOW 5%/ 39%/ 18%

6. Terrorism is NEVER justified under any
circumstances.
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

STRONGLY AGREE 83%/ 58%/ 34%
SOMEWHAT AGREE 10%/ 11%/ 32%
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE 4%/ 6%/ 18%
STRONGLY DISAGREE 4%/ 22%/ 9%
DON'T KNOW 1%/ 4%/ 7%

7. Hamas is a terrorist group.
Israeli Jews/Israeli
Arabs/Palestinians

STRONGLY AGREE 90%/ 16%/ 5%
SOMEWHAT AGREE 8%/ 11%/ 8%
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE 1%/ 14%/ 14%
STRONGLY DISAGREE ------/ 45%/ 67%/
DON'T KNOW 1%/ 15%/ 6%

[Hamas are freedom fighters.]

STRONGLY AGREE ------/ 33%/ 51%/
SOMEWHAT AGREE ------/ 26%/ 31%
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE ------/ 10%/ 10%
STRONGLY DISAGREE ------/ 20%/ 5%
DON'T KNOW ------/ 12%/ 4%

8. [Last year the Tulkarm Shahids Memorial
Soccer Championship For Children was named
After Abd Al-Al Baset Odeh, who killed 30 Israelis
in a suicide bombing. Is this a good thing or a bad
thing?]
Israeli Jews/Israeli
Arabs/Palestinians

A GOOD THING ------/ [15%] [71%]
A BAD THING ------/ [70%] [13%]
DON'T KNOW ------/ [15%] [17%]

9. If the Ministry of Education wanted to name a
youth soccer tournament after Baruch Goldstein,
who killed unarmed Palestinians in an attack,
would that be a good ting or bad thing?
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians
GOOD THING 11%/ 4%/ ------
BAD THING 83%/ 91%/ ------
DON'T KNOW 7%/ 5%/ ------

10. Do you consider Palestinian bombings of Israeli
buses and restaurants to be acts of terrorism?
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

YES 99%/ 57%/ 10%
NO 1%/ 31%/ 79%
DON'T KNOW ------/ 12%/ 11%

11. When Palestinian leaders refer to "occupied territories," do
you think they mean .
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

ALL OF THE WEST BANK AND 17%/ 64%/ 48%
GAZA STRIP

ALL OF THE WEST BANK, GAZA 78%/ 25%/ 37%
STRIP AND ISRAEL

SOMETHING ELSE 5% 11%/ 15%

12. Do you believe God wants Jews to fight Muslims?
[Do you believe Allah wants Muslims to fight Jews?]

Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

YES 12%/ [31%] / [31%]
NO 64%/ [52%] / [47%]
DON'T KNOW 18%/ [15%] / [22%]
DON'T BELIVE IN GOD / [ALLAH] 7%/ [2%] / [------]

13. If the Palestinians were to stop the terrorist attacks
and give up the right of return, should Israel withdraw
from all the territories, including East Jerusalem,
and grant them statehood?
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

YES 38%/ ------/ ------/
NO 57%/ ------/ ------
DON'T KNOW 4%/ ------/ ------

14. [If Israel were to leave all the territories, including
East Jerusalem, and grant statehood to the
Palestinians, should Palestinians give up the
right of return?]
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

YES ------/ [26%]/ [11%]
NO ------/ [65%]/ [80%]
DON'T KNOW ------/ [10%]/ [9%]

15. [And if Israel were to leave all territories, including
East Jerusalem, and grant statehood to the
Palestinians, should Hamas and Islamic Jihad give
up their armed struggle against Israel?]
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

YES ------/ [83%]/ [26%]
NO ------/ [13%]/ [59%]
DON'T KNOW ------/ [5%]/ [16%]

16. How would you feel if a future Palestinian state were to
be governed by Sha'riah law?

Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

VERY FAVORABLE 2%/ 32%/ 33%
SOMEWHAT FAVORABLE 5%/ 25%/ 36%
SOMEWHAT UNFAVORABLE 16%/ 10%/ 22%
VERY UNFAVORABLE 66%/ 27%/ 3%
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 11%/ 7%/ 7%

17. Which of the following is most important to you?
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

PEACE 47%/ 53%/ 23%
FREEDOM 20%/ 21%/ 29%
*DEATH THROUGH KIDUSH 4%/ [5%]/ [23%]
HASHEM / **[SHAHADA]
YOUR HOMELAND 25%/ 21%/ 24%
DON'T KNOW 4%/ 1%/ 3%

*Martyrdom, dying defending one's religion or people
**Death For Allah

18. Democracy is the best form of government.
Israeli Jews/Israeli Arabs/Palestinians

STRONGLY AGREE 53%/ 55%/ 55%
SOMEWHAT AGREE 34%/ 31%/ 25%
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE 8%/ 4%/ 9%
STRONGLY DISAGREE 5%/ 9%/ 8%
DON'T KNOW ------/ 1%/ 3%


METHODOLOGY

All three surveys were written and coordinated by Frank Luntz. Interviews
were conducted by PORI among the three populations:

Israeli Jews:

PORI - Public Opinion Research of Israel conducted this survey by telephone
(CATI) among a sample of 600 Adults (18+) Israeli Jews. The survey was in
the field September 23rd and 24th . The margin of error is +/- 4%.

Israeli Arabs:

PORI - Public Opinion Research of Israel conducted this survey by telephone
(CATI) among a sample of 400 Adults (18+) Israeli Arabs. The survey was in
the field September 24th and 25th . The margin of error is +/- 4.9%.

Palestinians:

PORI - Public Opinion Research of Israel coordinated this survey of
face-to-face interviews among a sample of 607 Palestinians. The interviews
were conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion. The survey was
in the field between the dates of September 21st and September 27th and has
a margin of error of +/- 4%.

PORI, founded in 1966, is one of the senior research institutes in Israel.
The firm has conducted numerous research projects for overseas governments
including the U.S. Department of State,
media and academic clients that include The Pew Research Center and the
BBC, as well as
international corporate work for companies that include Boeing and IBM.

Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, founded in 1994, has overseas
clients including U.S. Department of State, Gallup International and the UN
Development Program.

Crossposted @ Israpundit.com