A new poll published on Thursday suggests American Democrats sympathise more with Palestinians than Israelis.
The Gallup poll of 1,008 US adults found that for the first time in more than two decades of surveying, Democrats now hold an 11-point net negative view of Israel, showing more sympathy to Palestinians than Israelis by a 49 to 38 margin.
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Gallup poll showing Democrats' Sympathies in Middle East situation (Credit: Gallup)
Americans in general still favour the Israeli cause to Palestinians, with 54 per cent reporting greater sympathy for Israel. Although that figure is similar to last year’s 55 per cent, it is as its lowest since January 2005.
Sympathy towards Palestinians is at a new all-time high of 31 per cent, while the proportion not favouring any side, in particular, is at a new low of 15 per cent.
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US adult sympathies in Middle East conflict (Credit: Gallup)
That 23-point gap in American sympathy is the slimmest advantage Israel has ever had over the Palestinians and the first time the Jewish State has not enjoyed a better than 2-to-1 advantage over the Palestinians.
According to Gallup, the last 5 years have seen the most consequential shifts as Palestinian support has ticked up and support for Israel as well as ambivalence about the conflict have each declined.
Differences of opinion across generations continue to be significant, with older generations solidly favouring Israel. Baby boomers hold a 46-point difference in favour of Israel while generation X hold a 32-point difference.
Conversely, millennials are now evenly divided, with 42 per cent sympathising more with Palestinians and 40 per cent with Israelis.
Americans as a whole continue to view Israel as a country more favourably than they do the Palestinian Authority, at 68 per cent versus 26 per cent.
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Net sympathy for Israel among US adults by party ID (Credit: Gallup)
As polling from previous years has shown, Israel is viewed favourably by a majority of all party groups – 82 per cent of Republicans, 67 per cent of independents, and 56 per cent of Democrats. Whereas only 9 per cent of Republicans, 28 per cent of independents, and 36 per cent of Democrats view the Palestinian Authority positively.
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US adult favourability towards the Palestinian Authority (Credit: Gallup)
Gallup said: “Regardless of the reasons that Democrats’ (and, to a lesser extent, independents’) views have changed on the conflict, majorities of all generational and party groups still view Israel favourably and look more favourably on Israel than on the Palestinian Authority. This suggests that while rank-and-file Democrats may want Palestinians’ needs addressed, they will want solutions that respect Israel’s needs as well.”
American political support for Israel has in recent years become a dividing line between the Democrat Party’s centre and its progressive left flank.
Democratic lawmakers, notably members of the “Squad” led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib, have been vocal about the Palestinian cause and critical about America’s bipartisan support for Israel.
Support for Israel among elected centrist Democrats, including Joe Biden, remains high despite officials expressing disappointment towards Benjamin Netanyahu’s new religious coalition.
