Many American Jews support the nuclear agreement that world powers recently concluded with Iran, with a majority calling for Congress to approve the deal, according to a new L.A. Jewish Journal Survey.
The survey found that 49 percent of American Jews support the deal, while 31 percent oppose it.
When asked whether Congress should approve or oppose the deal, 53 percent of Jews said they support congressional approval of the deal, compared to 35 percent who were opposed.
Among all poll respondents, however, only 28 percent said they support the deal and 24 percent oppose, with the remaining 48 percent not knowing enough to decide.
Americans Jews had mixed feelings when asked whether they thought the agreement would prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons over the next 10 years, with 42 percent saying they are somewhat confident or very confident it will, while 54 percent said they were not so confident or not confident at all.
A slim plurality of Jewish respondents, 46 percent, said they believe the deal will lead to a more stable Middle East, while 41 percent said it will lead to a less stable region.
As for how the agreement will affect Israel, 49 percent said they believe the deal will make Israel more endangered, compared to the 33 percent who said it will make Israel safer.
The results show that there is significant divide between American Jews and Israeli leaders and citizens, as well as large U.S. Jewish lobby groups, who plan to spend $20 million to defeat the agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that the deal "endangers our security, our survival even, and the security of the Middle East and the world," reported the Times of Israel.
The deal "may block or delay Iran's path to one or two bombs for the next few years, assuming they don't cheat, but paves their way to many, many bombs after a decade or so because they become a threshold state with full international legitimacy," he said in a separate interview with CBS. "To boot, they also get a cash bonanza to fund their terrorists and aggression against us, against the region, against America and the world."
Most Israeli Jews seem to agree with their prime minister, with 78 percent saying they believe the deal will endanger Israel, 15 percent saying it will not and 7 percent saying they do not know, according to a poll taken for The Jerusalem Post. Seventy-one percent said they believe the deal will bring Iran closer to having a nuclear weapon.
On the other hand, Haroun Yashayaei, the leader of Iran's Jewish community, criticized Netanyahu this week for propagating lies against the Iranian nation regarding its nuclear ambitions. "There is no doubt that the Israeli prime minister is so narcissistic that none of these developments can deter him from following his delusional goals," Yashayaei said, reported the Post.
