In the News

December 9: Ariel Sharon's Likud Party began voting on whether to bring the opposition Labor Party into the Israeli government. Israel will sign an agreement with an Indian state to cooperate in high-tech, biotech and infrastructure, Trade Minister Ehud Olmert said. President Bush signed a waiver allowing the United States to give aid to the Palestinian Authority. December 10: Two Israelis accepted their Nobel prizes for chemistry and lamented the state of education in Israel. Hosni Mubarak denied that Egypt will return its ambassador to Tel Aviv. December 13: Palestinian sappers blew up an Israeli army outpost in the Gaza Strip, killing five soldiers and wounding six. Israel plans to pull its troops out of Palestinian cities during January elections for Palestinian Authority president. The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said achieving Israeli-Arab peace was key to ridding the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction. Jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti has dropped out of the race for the Palestinian Authority presidency. December 14: Palestinian Authority presidential hopeful Mahmoud Abbas called for an end to violence against Israelis. Israel, Egypt and the United States signed a sweeping trade accord. December 15: Fearing an Israeli attack, Hamas canceled a rally in the Gaza Strip. Shimon Peres said Palestinian democracy is not a prerequisite for peace with Israel. December 16: President Bush renewed his suspension of a law mandating that the U.S. Embassy be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Support for Islamist groups among Palestinians is dropping, a new poll says. The Shas Party declined to join Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government.

Most Americans support a close U.S. relationship with Israel

FACTS: (1) Support for Israel is not restricted to the Jewish community. Americans of all ages, races and religions sympathize with Israel. This support is also nonpartisan, with a majority of Democrats and Republicans consistently favoring Israel by large margins over the Arabs. (2) The best indication of Americans' attitude toward Israel is found in the response to the most consistently asked question about the Middle East: "In the Middle East situation, are your sympathies more with Israel or with the Arab nations?" The organization that has conducted the most surveys is Gallup. Support for Israel in Gallup Polls has remained consistently around the 50 percent mark since 1967. (3) In 67 Gallup polls, going back to 1967, Israel has had the support of an average of 46 percent of the American people compared to just under 13 percent for the Arab states/Palestinians. Americans have slightly more sympathy for the Palestinians than for the Arab states, but the results of polls asking respondents to choose between Israel and the Palestinians have not differed significantly from the other surveys. (4) Polls also indicate the public views Israel as a reliable U.S. ally, a feeling that grew stronger during the Gulf crisis. A January 1991 Harris Poll, for example, found that 86 percent of Americans consider Israel a "close ally" or "friendly." This was the highest level ever recorded in a Harris Poll. The figure in 2004 was 69 percent, ranking Israel fourth after Great Britain, Canada, and Australia. Source: Myths & Facts Online -- A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Mitchell G. Bard, http://www.JewishVirtualLibrary.org.

Advocacy for Israel Committee Information

The Advocacy for Israel Committee was formed in September of 2001 to organize pro-Israeli activities and to rally support in the form of Hasbara. The A Team’s next meeting is Sunday January 9 at 9:45 am in the CBI Atrium. Please join us and make a difference for Israel! For more information, email A Team Chairmen Jay Epstein (jhe@tampabay.rr.com) or Sheldon Scheinert (Sheldo123@aol.com), or call the CBI office at 381-4900.

The ISRAEL ADVOCACY TEAM of Congregation B’nai Israel
300 58^th Street North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33710 727-381-4900
Speaking out for Israel so that "Never Again" shall Jewish silence lead to an indifferent world