A leading media watchdog accused Christiane Amanpour of faking poll results to create the false impression that Palestinians support peace with Israel.
By United with Israel Staff
Last week, CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour interviewed former Israeli ambassador to France Yael German.
“I want to know from you, as a diplomat, is there any hope for anything resembling negotiations on a two-state solution, given that the settlements and the settlement-believers are emboldened by now their backers who are in government?” asked Amanpour, displaying an attitude toward the Jewish state that has earned her consistent accusations of anti-Israel bias.
When German’s response referenced Palestinian leaders’ historical refusals to accept multiple offers of statehood, Amanpour appeared to deny both that rejectionism has guided the Palestinian Authority’s approach and that Palestinians in general refuse to accept that a Jewish state exists.
Specifically, Amanpour claimed, “The latest polls from the Palestinian side also show that they want a peaceful, two-state solution to co-exist with you.”
The claim caught the eye of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA), a leading media watchdog, which noted, “It’s unclear what ‘latest polls’ Amanpour might be referring to, given that every major recent poll from the Palestinian side shows exactly the opposite.
Among the polls CAMERA cites debunking Amanpour’s claim are:
• A December 2022 poll by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) that found only 32% of Palestinians support a two-state solution;
• A July 2022 poll by the Palestinian organization Jerusalem Media & Communication Center (JMCC) that found 26% of Palestinians prefer a two-state solution.
• June 2022 polling data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (TWI) that found only 37% of Gazans and 25% of West Bank Palestinians would “definitely accept” or “probably accept” the concept of “two states for two peoples.”
• An August 2021 poll from the Ramallah-based Arab World for Research & Development (AWRD) that found only 36% of Palestinians support a two-state solution.
CAMERA also cited Palestinian polling data indicating that the majority Palestinians “either strongly or somewhat agree that ‘Palestinians should move to a new intifada and make armed struggle their top priority.’”
The December 2022 PCPSR poll cited by CAMERA indicated that 72% of Palestinians “support the formation of armed groups such as the ‘Lions’ Den’,” which perpetrated horrific murders targeting Israelis, using a teen attacker in at least one case.
According to CAMERA, “[I]t seems likely that Amanpour entirely fabricated findings from nonexistent ‘latest polls.’ A request for substantiation sent to Amanpour has so far gone unanswered.”