As Israel winds down its military offensive in the West Bank, the American public appears uncertain about Washington's role in Middle East peace efforts, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll.
A slim majority, 54 percent, said the United States should mainly leave it to Israel and the Palestinians to make peace. But a substantial minority, 42 percent, said the United States should take "the leading role."
Sixty-one percent of the more than 1200 adults surveyed said they believe Israel should negotiate directly with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, an idea that has been soundly rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Forty-nine percent of those polled said they sympathized more with Israel and half of those polled said the Palestinians were more to blame for the recent violence.
Three-quarters said they believe Arafat was responsible for terrorist attacks against Israel and nine in 10 said the Palestinian leader could do more to end such attacks.
While sympathy for Israel prevails, it did not escape criticism. Although two-thirds of the respondents said Israel's military offensive in Palestinian areas was justified, 60 percent also said Israel should have done more to avoid civilian causalities.
The worst of the fighting was in Jenin, where Palestinian officials have said that hundreds died. Israel says its troops acted as humanely as possible and killed a few dozen gunmen.
Israel pulled troops out of Nablus and most of Ramallah on Sunday, after Sharon declared an end to "this stage" of an operation launched on March 29 after a series of suicide bombings killed scores of Israelis.
The poll also found that support in the United States for the creation of a Palestinian state jumped with the recent spike in Middle East violence, even among most of those who sympathize with Israel.
Sixty-eight percent now say the United States should recognize Palestine as an independent nation, up from 55 percent last fall.
The poll of 1,207 adults was conducted April 18-21 and has a three percentage point margin of error.
(China Daily April 23, 2002)
