Sixty percent of Israelis believe that the only way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is by military action, according to a poll conducted by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. And 65% of those questioned say the price Israel would have to pay for living under the shadow of the Iranian nuclear bomb is higher than the price it would pay for attacking Irans nuclear capability. The poll shows some gender differences between respondents, with 56% percent of women, compared to 73% of men, agreeing that the price Israel would pay for living with an Iranian nuclear bomb would be higher than the price for attacking. Eighty percent of those surveyed agree that the American military is capable of damaging Irans nuclear program substantially, but their confidence in the Israel Defense Forces is also quite high: 66% believe the IDF could inflict significant damage on Irans nuclear program. Some 62% of Israelis think that if the U.S. were to carry out a military strike against Iran, the price Israel would pay would be less than if Israel carried out the attack on its own. The poll was conducted by Dr. Camille Fuchs of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, headed by former Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Dr. Dore Gold. The 505 respondents comprised a representive sample the Jewish population. In mid-March, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 56% of Americans would support U.S. military action against Iran if there was tangible evidence that Tehran was building nuclear weapons, even if such action led to higher gasoline prices. Asked whether they would back U.S. military action even if this resulted in higher gasoline prices, 53% said they would, while 42% said they would not. The poll also found that 62% of Americans would back Israel taking military action against Iran for the same reasons. The poll showed that Republicans were more willing to support military action by the U.S. or Israel than Democrats, with 70% of Republicans saying they would back U.S. action, and only 46% of Democrats and 51% of independents saying the same.
