From the NY Sun:
…the fact of the matter is that [Israeli] settlements are not an “obstacle to peace.” If the Palestinians are committed to peaceful coexistence with Israel, why should they demand that their nascent state be Judenrein…?
On Tuesday, The International Herald Tribune provided the answer to this question. It did so by publishing the results of a Pew Global Attitudes Project opinion poll taken last month of 15,000 citizens of eight Arab and Muslim countries Kuwait, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Lebanon, Nigeria and Morocco and the Palestinian Authority. These results show what the real obstacle to peace is. Eighty percent of Palestinians agreed with the statement: “The rights and needs of the Palestinian people cannot be taken care of as long as the State of Israel exists.” Ninety percent of Moroccans, 85% of Jordanians and 72% of Kuwaitis also agreed with the statement, as did solid majorities in Lebanon, Pakistan and Indonesia.
As well, the three most trusted world leaders for these Arab and Muslim societies are Osama bin Laden, Yasser Arafat and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. Finally, 80% of Jordanians and 90% of Palestinians expressed deep hatred not simply for American policy but for Americans as people. At the same time, 99% of Jordanians and 98% of Palestinians claim to have an unfavorable view of America as do a majority of those questioned in the other countries polled. [Caroline Glick, “The Outposts,” June 9, 2003, NY Sun]