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Does the Media's Anti-Israel Bias Matter?

(FrontPageMagazine) Mitchell G. Bard - American Jews have an almost pathological fear that the media will turn the American people against Israel and the public will demand that the U.S. government change its policy toward Israel in a way that will lead to its destruction. While Henry Kissinger's remark that it's not paranoia if people are really out to get you has a ring of truth here, the evidence suggests the media's bias has not had the malevolent impact the pro-Israel community fears. Most Americans don't feel that strongly about Middle East issues; in fact, polls indicate they wish the whole mess would just go away. Other than foreign aid, most Israel-related issues are not decided by Congress, so public opinion has at best a marginal impact by shaping the climate in which a president makes foreign policy. Many people have a perception that Americans once loved Israel, particularly in the wake of the dramatic victory in the Six-Day War, but that public support has gradually eroded over time because of Arab propaganda and the anti-Israel media bias. The data tells a different story. American public support for Israel has consistently exceeded that of the Arabs and Palestinians by huge margins, and the overall trend over the years has been in Israel's favor. Large majorities of Americans also view Israel as a friend and reliable ally.
2005-03-18 00:00:00
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