Good News --Israel Support By Americans Increasing

Americans’ Support for Israel Hits Highest Level in Years

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Mar 14, 2018

Americans tied their all-time highest levels of support for Israel in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

By: Batya Jerenberg, United with Israel

A Gallup poll published Tuesday demonstrates that 64% of the American public sympathize more with Israelis in the ongoing dispute with their neighbors, while only 19% lean toward the Palestinians.

This tied 2013 and 1991 for the highest support Israel has ever received in the 30 years that Gallup has run this poll. The survey confirmed that it is the constantly growing number of Republicans that tilt the percentages this way, as fully 87% of those who identified as members of the party came down on Israel’s side – a new high. The next highest pro-Israel group were Independents, who have basically held steady at about 59% for the last decade.

Democrats’ preference for Israel lagged far behind their counterparts across the aisle in Congress, at 49%. The gap is especially large now, but the party of Roosevelt, Clinton and Obama has consistently displayed less support for the Jewish state, with their all-time low being 41% in 2005 (a year when 73% of Republicans backed Israel).

“Republicans have consistently shown greater support than Democrats for Israel, partly because of conservative Christian’s beliefs about the biblical significance of Israel,” the polling research company said in its report.

“Another key factor in the especially wide gap since 2002 is likely Israel’s strong backing of the United States at the start of the Iraq War in 2003 and the strong support that Republican President George W. Bush showed for the Jewish state.”

Support for the Palestinians hasn’t changed much since 1988, the year of the first poll. Then, 15% supported them more, while the highest backing they received was 20%, back in 2007.

What may be a very important finding to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is that when asked who the United States should pressure more to resolve the conflict, the report says that Americans are about twice as likely to say the U.S. should put more pressure on the Palestinians (50%) than on the Israelis (27%).

It should be noted that although fewer than half of Democrats polled supported Israel in the conflict, 64% of them view Israel favorably in terms of their current general opinion of the country. Overall, a full 74% of American adults view Israel favorably, while only 23% view it unfavorably. This is almost the exact opposite of their opinion on the Palestinians, which is 21% favorable to 71% unfavorable.

A point the report brought out was that the older the people surveyed, the more they liked Israel and the less they liked the Palestinians. This is consistent with other organizations’ recent polling which also displayed a generation gap that has elicited concern on the part of various Jewish groups that have called for a concerted effort to educate younger adults on the issues at hand.

Biden Doing The Dutiful Stooge Routine Says That Obama Is Big Supporter Of Israel. We Don't Buy It.

US Says it’s ‘Prepared’ for Military Strike on Iran; Israel Supporters are Skeptical

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Joe Biden and Barack Obama

 (White House Photo: 

Pete Souza)

US Vice President Joe Biden said the US is prepared to strike Iran if nuclear negotiations fail. Supporters of Israel are not convinced.

Vice President Joe Biden defended the nuclear negotiations with Iran, highlighting that they are part of a larger strategy to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, including by military force.

“Those who say the deal ‘paves Iran’s path to a bomb’, respectfully, they don’t get it,” Biden said in clear reference to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, at the Washington Institute’s annual gala.

Biden admitted that Iran was mere months away from actually acquiring a nuclear weapon.

He claimed that the Obama administration would push back on certain items that Iran 

has declared red lines.  These include: access to Iranian military sites to ensure they are 

not pursuing nuclear weapons; a gradual removal of UN sanctions contingent on verification 

that Iran is in accordance with the agreement; and a snapback mechanism to reinstitute all 

sanctions in the event Iran violates the nuclear deal.  Any deal would also ensure that 

breakout time to a nuclear weapon remains at least one year for at least the next decade.

PM Netanyahu meets with President Obama in the Oval office. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

The vice president further noted that the 

US military has already been order to

 prepare for a potential attack on Iran. 

 “No such policy existed before president

 Obama uttered it, that all instruments 

of American power to prevent — not 

contain — a nuclear armed Iran would 

be used.  He made sure that our military

 had the capacity and the ability to execute the mission if required,” he said.

Biden confronted the popular view among the pro-Israel community that President Obama

 has been one of the least supportive US presidents towards Israel:

“Let’s get something straight,” Biden said. “No president has done more for the security 

of Israel than Barack Obama. That’s not going to change.”

The majority of Israel supporters view Obama as no friend of Israel and are highly skeptical 

of pro-Israel statements coming from the Obama administration at this time. The US 

President has deliberately put much daylight between the United States and Israel.

Israel supporters hope to see significant change in the Obama administration’s 

attitude – and more importantly, policy – towards the Jewish State.

By United with Israel staff

Israeli Support Is Very Weak Among Young, Not A Good Sign For The Future.

Is it true that American support for Israel is waning?

 
 
 
 
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By Adam Taylor July 29  

File: An Israeli soldier stands guard under an Israeli national flag during a tour made by Israeli parliament members in the Jordan Valley near the Jewish settlement of Maale Efrayim January 2, 2014. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

The enduring friendship between the American public and Israel is legendary, and something that often bewilders and infuriates critics of Israel's policy in the Middle East. With this most recent Gaza conflict, however, and the remarkable scale of destruction (and, thanks to new technology, the wide reach for images of that destruction), some are beginning to wonder if this could be about to change.

For example, in a post titled "The Shifting Israel Debate," Andrew Sullivan makes a convincing argument that the debate is changing for the media, and a poll published Tuesday by Pew and picked up by our colleagues at The Fix appears to show that young Americans areincreasingly skeptical of Israel's politics.

But what evidence is there of a broader, permanant shift? Here's the short answer: Not much.

Take this Pew Research Center Poll conducted between July 24-27. It finds that just one in four Americans believes Israel has "gone too far" in this recent conflict: That's a remarkably similar number to the 2009 Gaza War and the number in 2006, when Israel was targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon:

(Pew Research Center)

Another poll from Pew, conducted on July 8-14 before the Israeli ground invasion began but after aerial strikes began, found that 51 percent of Americans said they sympathize more with Israel than Palestinians, and only 14 percent sympathize more with the Palestinians. This was virtually identical to the results of the same poll in April.

A different poll, conducted by CNN/ORC poll between July 18-20, paints a slightly more complicated figure. It found that positive views of Israel had fallen since February, from 72 percent with a “very” or “mostly” favorable view of Israel to 62 percent. The poll also found a relatively high support for Israel's action in Gaza, with 57 percent of respondents saying they supported it.

"Attitudes toward Israeli military action have been extremely stable over the years," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said in a statement. "In 2012, an identical 57% thought that Israel's actions against Hamas in Gaza were justified. And in 2009, the number of Americans who felt that way was only a few points higher, at 63%."

A different take comes from Gallup's polling from July 22-23, where Israeli actions are deemed justifiable by just 42 percent of respondents – with 39 percent saying they were not. This difference could be a result of the later date, or the way the question is worded. Even so, it seems to be countered by another result from the survey: 70 percent of respondents felt that Hamas’ actions were unjustified, while just 11 percent see them as justified.

Even if the tide is actually turning for Israeli support, it still has a long way to go down. This chart from Pew, released on July 15, shows that American support for Israel is an a historical high:

(Pew Research Center)

A graphic released by Gallup in March 2013 shows a similar conclusion:

(Gallup)

What's more, even if the trend among young Americans noted in the latest Pew poll isn't a conclusive sign of a shift: Who is to say that these people's viewpoints will stay the same as they grow older? As my colleague Aaron Blake points out:

Just because young Americans are more suspect of what Israel is doing today doesn't mean they will be as suspect in a decade or two. It's well-known that Americans tend to become more politically conservative as they age; it's also quite likely that their views on Middle East politics will evolve.

This doesn't mean that there isn't some kind of change happening in American's view of Israel, and it certainly is notable that big pro-Israel names are shifting. But, so far, the evidence that would confirm a wider fall in support of Israel just isn't there.

The Post's polling analyst Scott Clement contributed to this post.

Adam Taylor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. Originally from London, he studied at the University of Manchester and Columbia University.

Gallup And Pew Research On American Support For Israel.

Is it true that American support for Israel is waning?

 
 
 
 
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•  More

By Adam Taylor July 29  

File: An Israeli soldier stands guard under an Israeli national flag during a tour made by Israeli parliament members in the Jordan Valley near the Jewish settlement of Maale Efrayim January 2, 2014. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

The enduring friendship between the American public and Israel is legendary, and something that often bewilders and infuriates critics of Israel's policy in the Middle East. With this most recent Gaza conflict, however, and the remarkable scale of destruction (and, thanks to new technology, the wide reach for images of that destruction), some are beginning to wonder if this could be about to change.

For example, in a post titled "The Shifting Israel Debate," Andrew Sullivan makes a convincing argument that the debate is changing for the media, and a poll published Tuesday by Pew and picked up by our colleagues at The Fix appears to show that young Americans are increasingly skeptical of Israel's politics.

But what evidence is there of a broader, permanant shift? Here's the short answer: Not much.

Take this Pew Research Center Poll conducted between July 24-27. It finds that just one in four Americans believes Israel has "gone too far" in this recent conflict: That's a remarkably similar number to the 2009 Gaza War and the number in 2006, when Israel was targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon:

(Pew Research Center)

Another poll from Pew, conducted on July 8-14 before the Israeli ground invasion began but after aerial strikes began, found that 51 percent of Americans said they sympathize more with Israel than Palestinians, and only 14 percent sympathize more with the Palestinians. This was virtually identical to the results of the same poll in April.

A different poll, conducted by CNN/ORC poll between July 18-20, paints a slightly more complicated figure. It found that positive views of Israel had fallen since February, from 72 percent with a “very” or “mostly” favorable view of Israel to 62 percent. The poll also found a relatively high support for Israel's action in Gaza, with 57 percent of respondents saying they supported it.

"Attitudes toward Israeli military action have been extremely stable over the years," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said in a statement. "In 2012, an identical 57% thought that Israel's actions against Hamas in Gaza were justified. And in 2009, the number of Americans who felt that way was only a few points higher, at 63%."

A different take comes from Gallup's polling from July 22-23, where Israeli actions are deemed justifiable by just 42 percent of respondents – with 39 percent saying they were not. This difference could be a result of the later date, or the way the question is worded. Even so, it seems to be countered by another result from the survey: 70 percent of respondents felt that Hamas’ actions were unjustified, while just 11 percent see them as justified.

Even if the tide is actually turning for Israeli support, it still has a long way to go down. This chart from Pew, released on July 15, shows that American support for Israel is an a historical high:

(Pew Research Center)

A graphic released by Gallup in March 2013 shows a similar conclusion:

(Gallup)

What's more, even if the trend among young Americans noted in the latest Pew poll isn't a conclusive sign of a shift: Who is to say that these people's viewpoints will stay the same as they grow older? As my colleague Aaron Blake points out:

Just because young Americans are more suspect of what Israel is doing today doesn't mean they will be as suspect in a decade or two. It's well-known that Americans tend to become more politically conservative as they age; it's also quite likely that their views on Middle East politics will evolve.

This doesn't mean that there isn't some kind of change happening in American's view of Israel, and it certainly is notable that big pro-Israel names are shifting. But, so far, the evidence that would confirm a wider fall in support of Israel just isn't there.

The Post's polling analyst Scott Clement contributed to this post.

Adam Taylor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. Originally from London, he studied at the University of Manchester and Columbia University.

American Support For Israel Not Overwhelming.

The following article attempts to say that American support for Israel is strong and growing stronger. We disagree.  When only  51% of Americans support Israel, that is not an overwhelming vote of confidence. Additionally,  one negative event (an errant missile, a plane crash in a crowded square, a soldier who does something horrific)  trumpted by the media would turn those numbers negative in short order. Also, as the war against Hamas continues in Gaza,  we expect to see many more articles on children being killed, houses destroyed and the unlevel death counts.

Israel can continue to call the residents of homes about to be shelled or hit by missiles, however, if Hamas will not let them move away and forces them to the rooftops, it will do no good.  The death count will mount and any mention of Israel's attempt to prevent civilian deaths is barely mentioned in media coverage. 

One only has to look at the pictures of the killings in Iraq (in our previous posting today entitled "This Is The Type Of Enemy We Will Be Facing If We Do Not Stop Them Now!") to see the enemy that Israel and the rest of the western world is facing. It is not anything of the 21st Century rather it is closer to the 12th or 13th century.  Such depravity, such brutality should be facing UN sanctions, yet this despicable organization says nothing but blames Israel for the deaths that result after Hamas hides behind civilians. 

The war against Hamas must continue and those of us who support Israel, must come to understand that American support will fall, the longer the war continues.  We must do everything in our power to support our only true ally in the Mideast regardless of the views of our countrymen.

Conservative Tom

Americans still support Israel, but views vary by age and race, poll finds

Minorities and Millennials are much more skeptical about Israel, according to the new Pew report. Could this affect US policy toward its ally down the road?

By Gram Slattery, Staff writer JULY 29, 2014

• 

  Amir Cohen/Reuters

  View Caption

It’s no secret that Americans tend to support Israel in its decades-long conflict with Hamas. But according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center, this support is less monolithic than one might think.

How one views Israel in the recent Gaza conflict depends largely on race, age, and political affiliation, the poll indicates. While 40 percent of Americans overall see the Palestinian militant group as the prime instigator of the current violence versus 19 percent who blame the Israelis, this gap is smaller – and even nonexistent – within certain demographic groups.

Consider differences among age groups: Among Americans 65 or older, the fault lies with Hamas, as 53 percent of them blame the militant group for the current violence, while only 15 percent blame Israel. Among Americans ages 18 through 29, however, 29 percent put Israel at fault, versus 18 percent who put the blame on Hamas.

Recommended: How much do you know about the Palestinians? Take our quiz

Why are Millennials less supportive of Israeli policy? According to Alec Tyson, a senior researcher at Pew, the answer may have to do with religion, as young people are less likely to be members of denominations that tend to support Israel.

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“For age, we know that younger people are much more likely to be religiously unaffiliated,” he says. “And white evangelical Protestants are really bolstering American support for Israel.”

Similar divides fall along racial and ethnic lines: While 47 percent of whites see Hamas as the instigator and 14 percent blame Israelis, 35 percent of Hispanics side with the Palestinian group on this issue, versus 20 percent with Israel. And blacks were split on the question, with 27 percent faulting the Israelis and 25 percent faulting the Palestinians.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, these minority groups – like Millennials writ large – are much less likely to belong to pro-Israel evangelical denominations.

“I think to a certain extent that the African-American and Latino difference we now see is again due to white Evangelicals being more supportive of Israel,” Mr. Tyson says.

Politics also plays a significant role in one’s views, according to the report: Seventy percent of conservative Republicans blame the conflict on Hamas, versus 6 percent who place the blame on Israel. Liberal Democrats, by contrast, are split, with 30 percent falling into each category.

(In many cases, large portions of poll respondents fell into a third category – placing the blame with both Israelis and Palestinians or with neither group, or saying they didn’t know.)

When asked about the appropriateness of the Israeli reaction to the conflict – rather than about the nation’s culpability in starting it – the demographic splits were less pronounced.

On the whole, 35 percent of Americans believe Israel has responded appropriately to the conflict, and 15 percent say the nation has not gone far enough. Twenty-five percent, on the other hand, say Israel has overreacted.

Hispanics and Blacks again were less sympathetic to Israeli policy, with 35 and 36 percent, respectively, saying the nation had overreacted, while only 22 percent of whites shared this view.

Age-wise, 29 percent of 18-to-30-year-olds said Israel acted disproportionately, versus 22 percent of persons over 50 who agreed with this outlook.

Whether such divisions affect US policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian situation is yet to be seen, Tyson says.

While younger Americans are much more critical of Israeli policy, the pollsters at Pew are unsure if Millennials will shift their politics as they grow older – or if this generation represents the first wave of increased skepticism among Americans toward Israel.

The following could bode well for pro-Israel advocates: According to a 2010 census by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, evangelicalism grew by 12 percent in the previous decade.

At the same time, the percentage of nonwhite Americans is increasing rapidly, and the US Census Bureau predicts that whites – who disproportionately support Israeli policy – will be a minority by 2043.

Some Middle East experts and policy-based organizations have interpreted this demographic shift as a potential source of increased sympathy toward Palestinians in US policy. Among them is Leon Hadar, an analyst at Wikistrat and formerly a research fellow at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, as well as the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, a group in New York that focuses on improving intercultural relations.

Other groups, however, such as the Institute for National Security Studies based in Israel, argue that US Latinos’ views toward Israel are more supportive than might be expected – given their average youth and widespread Democratic affiliation.

The recent Pew poll comes on the heels of a related survey conducted by the research group earlier in July, which calculated that American sympathy for Israel has grown modestly in the past few decades.

According to that poll, 51 percent of Americans now sympathize more with Israel than with the Palestinians, up from 45 percent in 1978. That increase is due entirely to changing sentiment within the GOP, the report says, as the portion of Republicans sympathizing more with Israelis jumped from 49 to 73 percent over that 36-year period.

Overall, sympathy for Palestinians has remained low and stagnant, according to that poll, with only 14 percent of Americans in both 1978 and 2014 saying they have more sympathy for the Palestinians than for Israel.