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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
July 21, 2003
/ 21 Tamuz, 5763
Can't count on Arab polls for the truth
By
Zev Chafets
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
Last week, pollster Khalil Shikaki turned up at the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in the West Bank city of Ramallah to deliver the findings of a new public opinion survey: According to him, most Palestinians don't want "to return" to Israel.
This amazing report was immediately disputed by several hundred Palestinian patriots. They expressed their disagreement by trashing the center and trying to lay rough hands on Shikaki himself. Fortunately, he escaped unmurdered.
In part because of this drama, the results of this poll are certain to become a fixture of Israeli-Palestinian discourse, quoted as scientific fact by journalists, experts and diplomats.
Let's take a look at what they actually mean.
According to Shikaki, 54% of Palestinian refugee families say they are ready to accept compensation in the West Bank or Gaza. Another 17% want to stay in Lebanon or Jordan. A further 2% prefer to be relocated somewhere else altogether. Add up the numbers, and it appears that 73% of all Palestinian refugees are willing to forgo their traditional demand to move "back" to Israel.
Not only that. Shikaki said that only 10% insisted on "returning" to what is now Israel. And, as he told National Public Radio's Robert Siegel, only about 10% of that 10% would return if it meant taking Israeli citizenship.
Siegel: "So you're saying that approximately, according to this poll, about 1% of Palestinian refugees would opt for both residence and citizenship in the State of Israel."
Shikaki: "That is absolutely correct."
But (there's always a "but") Shikaki continued, "This is not an exchange for the right of return. This is in addition to the right of return."
Oh.
In fact, Shikaki said that more than 95% of those polled refuse, as a matter of principle, to give up their "right of return." They are prepared to accept something now -- a house, a farm, a few hundred thousand bucks -- as long as that compensation doesn't preclude them from making additional claims down the road.
It gets worse. Thirteen percent of refugee families reject any solution at all. Since there are, according to Palestinian claims, roughly 4 million refugees (including descendants), 13% amounts to roughly 435,000 people willing to fight to the death. Looked at this way, these are grim statistics. The good news is that they are, let's say, inexact.
In the Middle East, people don't reveal their true thoughts on controversial subjects to pollsters. Sometimes this is a matter of law --- refugees in Syria, for example, weren't queried by Shikaki because the Assad regime allows only One True Answer to all questions. Sometimes, especially in Palestinian circles, dissembling is a form of self-preservation. Opinions are dangerous --- as Shikaki's own press conference illustrated. That's why no survey is likely to provide real information on the state of Palestinian sentiment.
But if we give Shikaki the benefit of the doubt, his results are more alarming than encouraging. Very simply, if 95% of Palestinians still insist on the "right of return," there won't be any deal. It doesn't matter that a majority of Palestinians say now that they wouldn't move to Israel. As everyone knows, people change their minds.
Especially in societies where pollsters need bodyguards.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading."
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JWR contributor Zev Chafets is a columnist for The New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
© 2003, New York Daily News
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