The Baltimore Sun

Fri, Dec. 06, 2002

U.S. Arabs and Jews find commonality

By JAMES ZOGBY and DEBRA DeLEE

For too long, some Arab-American and Jewish-American groups have worked hard to drive a wedge between our two communities.

They have tried to convince elected officials that it is impossible to find common ground among ourselves. As a result, public debate within the Arab-American and Jewish-American communities has become polarized, harsh and unrepresentative of what Arabs and Jews really think.

Fortunately, a new poll commissioned by the Arab American Institute and Americans for Peace Now sheds some much-needed light on this subject, revealing two sides that are more moderate and closer to each other in their thinking than some would have believed. The survey provides some optimism about the potential for our two communities to work on a shared agenda to promote peace.

Both communities consider themselves well informed about the situation in the Middle East, with 93 percent of Arab Americans and 96 percent of Jewish Americans indicating that they either ''very closely'' or ''somewhat closely'' follow developments in the region.

They also hold, to different degrees, a similar outlook on how they think the Bush administration should pursue peace. Although 65 percent of Arab Americans and only 38 percent of Jewish Americans believe that the administration is leaning toward Israel, both sides express a preference for the White House to steer a middle course in the conflict.

Ninety-six percent of Arab Americans and 85 percent of Jewish Americans agree that Palestinians have a right to live in a secure and independent state of their own. Similarly, 95 percent of Arab Americans and 97 percent of Jewish Americans agree that Israelis, too, have that right.

Our two communities also agree about whom to blame for the breakdown of the Middle East peace process, with 50 percent of Arab Americans and 42 percent of Jewish Americans blaming both sides.

There is a remarkable level of agreement about support for a peace proposal crafted along the lines of where Israelis and Palestinians left their direct negotiations at Taba, Egypt, in January 2001.

We asked survey participants if they would support a peace agreement that included: the establishment of an independent, secure Palestinian state alongside an independent, secure Israeli state; the evacuation of most settlements from the West Bank and Gaza; the establishment of a border roughly along the June 4, 1967, line; a Palestinian right of return only to inside a new Palestinian state; and the establishment of Jerusalem as the shared capital of both countries. Seventy-nine percent of Arab Americans and 52 percent of Jewish Americans said Yes.

Unfortunately, our study also found that both communities have misconceptions about each other's thinking.

While 50 percent of Arab Americans agreed that most Jewish Americans think that Palestinians have a right to live in a secure, independent state of their own, the actual level of Jewish-American support for this position is 85 percent. Similarly, only 34 percent of Jewish Americans agree that most Arab Americans think that Israelis have a right to live in their own state, even though 95 percent of Arab Americans hold this position.

It's time to put aside such misunderstandings. If there is to be peace in the Middle East, American decision-makers must recognize that there is a constituency for it among Arab Americans and Jewish Americans. The joint survey shows that we share common ground in supporting a two-state solution and a shared future for Israelis and Palestinians. It's up to us to work together to get that message out and help pave the path to peace.

James Zogby is president of the Arab American Institute. Debra DeLee is president of Americans for Peace Now.

©2002 The Baltimore Sun