Jimmy Carter Talks to Hamas Leaders About Conditions for Peace

The Palestinian group Hamas has said that it would accept a two-state solution between Palestinians and Israel, only if it were ratified by a referendum of the Palestinian people, according to former president Jimmy Carter, who is in talks in the Middle East against the wishes of the Bush administration. Yet Hamas also said it would not recognize an Israeli state, and it's widely acknowledged that Israel, who also opposed these meetings, would never accept such terms.

The number of Americans who say peace between Israel and the Arab nations is possible has fluctuated over time. In our Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, just one-third (33 percent) of Americans gave the U.S. a grade of A or B for doing our best to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians, compared to 45 percent when we first asked the question in June 2005. About two-thirds (65 percent) say U.S. policies are too pro-Israel to be able to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians.