Israelis are faring better than Palestinians in the U.S. court of public opinion, according to several recent polls.

In an April 5-6 Scott Rasmussen/Fox and Friends poll, 58 percent of those surveyed said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is a terrorist.

In an April 10-11 Harris Interactive/Time/CNN poll, 62 percent said the word "terrorist" described Arafat, and 26 percent said it did not. Twenty percent of respondents said they would describe Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a terrorist, but 64 percent said they would not.

In an early-April Gallup/CNN/USA Today poll, 70 percent described the recent violence by the Palestinians against the Israelis as acts of terrorism, and 24 percent called them legitimate acts of war against their opponents. Thirty-nine percent described the violence committed by the Israelis against the Palestinians as acts of terrorism, and 53 percent described them as legitimate acts of war.

In an early-April NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 16 percent of respondents said Arafat wants to stop the suicide bombings against Israel, but 69 percent said that he does not.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 20 percent had a very or somewhat positive view of Sharon, while 28 percent had a negative one. Four percent had a positive view of Arafat and 75 percent a negative one (58 percent had a very negative opinion).

In an April 2-4 Zogby International poll, 36 percent had a very or somewhat favorable rating of Sharon, and 29 percent had a somewhat or very unfavorable rating of him. The ratings for Arafat were 10 percent favorable and 77 percent unfavorable. Israelis were rated more favorably than Palestinians, 73 percent to 50 percent. The Israeli government topped the Palestinian Authority, 45 percent to 9 percent.

Gore on Bush

In the early-April Gallup/CNN/USA Today poll, respondents were told: "Al Gore has not spoken out in opposition to any of George W. Bush's policies since Bush became President."

When asked what he should do now, 15 percent said he should publicly criticize Bush administration policies he opposes, but 82 percent said he should continue to say nothing critical about Bush. This question was asked before Gore's April 13 speech to the Florida Democratic Convention.

Is the Recession Over?

The Gallup/CNN/USA Today poll found that 45 percent believe the economy is in a recession, but 52 percent do not. Fifty-nine percent in the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll said the worst of the recession is over, while 33 percent said the worst is yet to come.

Tax Time

In the Gallup/CNN/USA Today poll, 34 percent said the tax cut passed last year had lowered the amount of federal income tax they paid (or would pay), but 50 percent said it had not lowered the amount.

In the latest ABC News survey, taken April 10-14, people estimated that 47 cents of every dollar the government collects in taxes is wasted. That question has been asked 10 times since 1985, and the amount given averages 48 cents. The amount reached a high of 56 cents in 1998 and a low of 43 cents in 1985.

Bush Legitimacy

In early April, Gallup/CNN/USA Today returned to the subject of President Bush's legitimacy. Forty-nine percent said the view that Bush won the election "fair and square" came closest to their own, 34 percent chose the view that he won "on a technicality," and 16 percent said that he "stole" the election.

In the five other iterations of this question since Dec. 15, 2000, the responses have been very similar.

Delivering for the District

In the Gallup/ CNN/USA Today poll, 45 percent said a Congressional candidate's ability to do things that help constituents in their Congressional districts was more important to them in casting their vote than candidates' positions on national issues. Forty-eight percent said the latter was more important.

Iterations of this question in 1992 and 1994 found that getting things done for the district was more important than issue positions.

Rock 'n' Roll Is Here to Stay

In the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 41 percent said that rock music has had a generally positive impact on American society, culture and values. Thirty-four percent said it has had a generally negative impact.

Elephants and Tigers

The Gallup/CNN/USA Today poll found that Republicans are only slightly more likely than Democrats (29 percent to 22 percent) to be fans of professional golf.

Karlyn H. Bowman is a resident fellow at AEI.