Just before Christmas 2006, Open Bethlehem commissioned the US pollsters Zogby International to survey American opinion of Bethlehem. To accompany this poll, Open Bethlehem commissioned a second survey in Bethlehem (to be precise, in the three urban centers of the Bethlehem governorate; Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour).

• Read the report by Zogby International here. (PDF)
  
• Read the Open Bethlehem Press Release on the Opinion Polls here
  

The headline results make fascinating reading. It is true that many Americans are hazy on the geography, with a majority believing Bethlehem is in Israel (58%). Yet they also show a real sympathy for the issues that most affect Bethlehem’s citizens. There is strong support for listing the city as a UN World Heritage site (65%) and for the preservation of the city’s Christian heritage (81%). Americans are ambivalent about Israel’s wall (31% in support, 31% opposed), and significant numbers are disturbed to discover that the wall actually divides Bethlehem’s communities (49%) and seizes private property (39%).

In the five years prior to 2006, 400 Christian families left Bethlehem. The poll discovered that 16% of  local Christians were in the process of emigrating, and that 63% of Bethlehem’s Christians already have relatives living abroad. All this re-enforces the findings of the UN that the Christian community is approaching a tipping-point at which the Christian community will be no longer sustainable in Bethlehem. Israel has dodged responsibility for this exodus, often citing the rise of Islamic politics as a reason for Christian emigration. The Christians of Bethlehem overwhelmingly blame the Wall and Israel’s blockade of their city (78%) for their emigration: some describing it as a form of ethnic cleansing.

The Wall emerges as the most pressing problem threatening the city of Bethlehem. In the States, 41% believe the wall is only a temporary measure. In Bethlehem, a massive 91% regard the wall as part of a long-term plan by Israel to permanently confiscate Palestinian land, a view supported by the International Court of Justice who ruled against the wall. Unfortunately, only 25% of Americans say their opinions would be swayed by the Court’s ruling. This figure breaks down along party lines – 42% Democrat and 8% Republican – making it the issue most affected by political beliefs. The issues that have the greatest impact on US opinion center on community, heritage and property.