Poll: American Jews support pullout

new york (jps) | Even as a majority of American Jews support Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from Gaza and some parts of the West Bank, most say they are unsure the withdrawal will make Israel any safer, a new poll shows.

In a poll of 501 American Jews conducted last week by Hebrew University sociologist Steven M. Cohen, 65 percent voiced support for Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, and 23 percent opposed it. At the same time, 62 percent said they were unsure disengagement would make Israel any safer, though 55 percent said it would help bring Israelis and Palestinians closer to a peace agreement.

The poll's results mirror those of Israeli Jews, who overwhelmingly support the disengagement plan but have doubts about its efficacy in reducing future Palestinian violence against Israelis. In a poll conducted last month, 65 percent of 602 Israelis surveyed by the Harry Truman peace institute at Hebrew University said they support Sharon's disengagement plan, though 58 percent said full Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip would not reduce attacks against Israelis.

"American Jews stand squarely with Israel as it prepares to take great risks for peace," said Kenneth Bob, president of the American Zionist group Ameinu, which sponsored last week's poll of U.S. Jews.