Condoleezza Rice's 70 Percent Solution

Back in October 2006, I posted about Condoleezza Rice's strange remark:

Well, you can look at any opinion poll in the Palestinian territories and 70 percent of the people will say they're perfectly ready to live side by side with Israel because they just want to live in peace.

Rice never did quote any of those opinion polls by name, but recently Andy McCarthy pointed to an article from March 2007 about a poll taken in February 2007:

A recent poll of Palestinian children shows a direct correlation between the PA curriculum and Palestinian children's opinions. PMW's newest report on Palestinian Authority schoolbooks warns that because of the PA curriculum, which repeatedly and utterly rejects Israel's right to exist, "The well-meaning (Palestinian) student is left with no logical justification or religious option to accept Israel as a neighbor ..."

...The results that PMW and Sen. Clinton have warned about can be seen in a new poll released by Near East Consulting, a Palestinian research institute, which asked Palestinians, "Does Israel have the right to exist?"

Among young people ages 18 -25, those who have been most influenced by PA education, an overwhelming number - between 84% - 93% -- denied Israel's right to exist. [http://www.neareastconsulting.com/] This was higher than the overall figure of 75% who denied Israel's right to exist. It should be noted that PA teachings denying Israel's right to exist are endemic throughout PA society and media, including among Fatah leaders, which would account for the high levels of denial of Israel's legitimacy throughout PA society. [emphasis added]

So much for all those polls that claim "people will say they're perfectly ready to live side by side with Israel because they just want to live in peace." Of course, in general living in peace for many Palestinian Arabs means an end to the fighting--not necessarily that Israel will still exist when the smoke clears.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking for Rice to force a second Palestinian state down Israel's throat.

She is quoted as saying:

Israelis must be confident that a Palestinian state will increase their security and not detract from it.

Unfortunately, she does not necessarily intend this so much as a requirement for Abbas as an ultimatum for Israel.

Crossposted at Soccer Dad

Technorati Tag: Israel and Condoleezza Rice.