Poll sees Americans support cutting aid to Israel

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - Most Americans believe the
United States should halt or reduce economic and military aid
to Israel if Prime Minister Ariel Sharon does not immediately
withdraw troops from Palestinian areas, according to a Time
Magazine/CNN poll released on Friday.
The poll of 1,003 adults also found most Americans back
Secretary of State Colin Powell's Mideast peace mission,
although they expect few results and consider Palestinian
leader Yasser Arafat a "terrorist" and an enemy of the U.S.
The public opinion sampling was conducted on Wednesday and
Thursday, before Powell arrived in Israel on Friday, when a
suicide bomber killed six people outside a Jerusalem market.
Sharon has rejected repeated direct calls by President
George W. Bush to withdraw troops from Palestinian areas,
prompting some critics to raise the possibility of sanctions.
But the administration has made clear it has no plans to
threaten key ally Israel with a cut in its $3 billion in annual
aid. Even if it did, a strongly pro-Israel U.S. Congress likely
would oppose the move.
The Time/CNN poll found that 60 percent of Americans
favored the aid cut off if an Israeli troop withdrawal does not
take place immediately.
An even larger number -- 75 percent -- think Powell's
Mideast trip is a good idea but only 21 percent of the
respondents believe major progress toward peace will result.