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Americans Blame Hamas for Gaza Conflict
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in the United States believe Hamas is responsible for the current confrontation with Israel in the Gaza Strip, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. 41 per cent of respondents say Hamas is to blame for the ongoing conflict.
In addition, 50 per cent of respondents characterize Israel’s response as about right, while 24 per cent deem it excessive.
The Islamic Jihad organization launched Qassam rockets into Israel from Gaza almost daily since the Islamic militant and political faction Hamas took control of the territory in June 2007. Israel holds Hamas responsible for the attacks for allowing Islamic Jihad and other groups to act against Israel. On Dec. 21, 2008, a six-month "calm agreement" between Israel and Hamas expired. The launching of rockets into southern Israel resumed.
On Dec. 27, Israel launched a series of aerial attacks against what it deems "Hamas targets" in the Gaza Strip, including the Al Aqsa television station and the Islamic University of Gaza. On Jan. 3, Israeli ground troops entered Gaza. More than 1,100 people have died on the Palestinian side and close to 5,000 have been wounded. Women and children account for more than a third of the Palestinian fatalities, and almost half of the injuries. The Israeli death toll is tabled at 13 people.
On Jan. 12, U.S. president George W. Bush discussed his views on the conflict, saying, "I’m for a sustainable ceasefire. And a definition of a sustainable ceasefire is that Hamas stops firing rockets into Israel. And there will not be a sustainable ceasefire if they continue firing rockets. I happen to believe the choice is Hamas’s to make. And we believe that the best way to ensure that there is a sustainable ceasefire is to work with Egypt to stop the smuggling of arms into the Gaza that enables Hamas to continue to fire rockets. And so countries that supply weapons to Hamas have got to stop. And the international community needs to continue to pressure them to stop providing weapons."
Polling Data
Over the past few weeks, there has been a significant military conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. All things considered, who do you think is most responsible for the outbreak of the recent violence?
|
Hamas |
41% |
|
Israel |
12% |
|
Both sides |
3% |
|
Palestine / Palestinians |
3% |
|
United States / Bush |
1% |
|
Other |
3% |
|
Not sure |
37% |
What do you think about the way Israel is responding in the current conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip? Has Israel gone too far, not gone far enough, or has Israel’s response been about right?
|
Gone too far |
24% |
|
Not gone far enough |
7% |
|
About right |
50% |
|
Not sure |
19% |
Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Methodology: Interviews to 1,503 American adults, conducted from Jan. 7 to Jan. 11, 2009. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.