The Times Poll : Return of Land, Talks With PLO Supported

Twenty years after the Six-Day War, Americans tend to think that Israel should give back at least some of the Arab territory it captured and that there should be peace negotiations with the Palestine Liberation Organization, a survey by the Los Angeles Times Poll showed.

However, public support for the idea of negotiating with the PLO actually has declined substantially in recent years, since the optimistic afterglow of the 1978 Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt.

The nationwide poll also showed that in contrast to the American government, which has strongly supported Israel under every presidency, the American public has a mixed view of Israel. Those in this survey who expressed a favorable impression of Israel numbered only slightly more than those who voiced an unfavorable impression.

Little Change in 20 Years

Still, the public’s overall impression of Israel has not changed significantly in 20 years, the poll indicated.

The Los Angeles Times Poll, directed by I. A. Lewis, interviewed 2,317 American adults by telephone for four days, ending Monday night. The margin of error for this size survey is 3 percentage points in either direction.

Only 21% of those interviewed felt that Israel should keep all of the territory it won along the West Bank of the Jordan River and in the Gaza Strip during the 1967 war. The vast majority of people--61%--said Israel should return at least some of the territory as a condition for peace.

This latter group ranged from the 35% who said “it is time for Israel to make some concessions, but not territory that is essential for her defense,” to the 19% who believed that “Israel should give up all or most of the occupied territory, but only if the Arabs will guarantee her existence as a state” and the 7% who contended that “Israel should not be allowed to keep any occupied territory under any circumstances.” Another 18% had no opinion.

PLO Support Slips

Those surveyed also were asked whether they sided with the view that the United States should not negotiate with the PLO “because they are terrorists and refuse to recognize the right of Israel to exist,” or with the idea that “in order to bring peace to the Middle East, we should be willing to talk to all parties involved in the conflict, including the PLO.” The American public was inclined to think that the PLO should be brought into negotiations, a step that Israel and the United States generally have resisted.

Fifty percent favored negotiations with the PLO, 39% opposed it and 11% had no opinion.

But Americans were a lot more supportive of negotiations with the PLO eight years ago during a survey by the Times Poll. Then, 60% favored it and only 29% were opposed.

About half the people--48%--said their opinion of Israel has not changed over the last 20 years. Another 20% reported that it is now less favorable, and 17% said it is more favorable. The other 15% had no opinion.

And their present impression of the government of Israel basically is mixed--37% favorable, 30% unfavorable and 33% not sure.