While a clear majority of American voters support Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas, Democrats and young Americans are divided about where to place their sympathies.
Nearly a quarter of Democrats (24%) say they sympathize more with the Palestinians than with their Israeli counterparts, according to a Wall Street Journal poll released Monday.
Only 17% of Democrats say they sympathize more with Israel, while 48% have equal sympathy for both sides.
Democrats under 50 have significantly more pro-Palestinian sympathies — 35% versus 13% more sympathetic to Israel, according to the poll. Among Democrats over 50, Israelis draw more sympathy by 22% to 12%.
“There’s a split between younger Democrats and older Democrats where their sympathies lie,” said Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio, who ran the WSJ poll with Democratic pollster Michael Bocian. “It has the potential to be a modern day Vietnam for Democrats.”
President Biden has been a staunch supporter of Israel in the bloody conflict. AFP via Getty Images
Overall, 55% of Americans say Israel is taking appropriate military action to defend itself and prevent Hamas from attacking again. A quarter of Americans (25%) said Israel went too far in its response to the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas, while 20% said they did not know or refused to answer.
On the sympathy question, 42% of Americans said they sympathized more with Israelis and only 12% said they felt more sorry for the Palestinians. A third of Americans say they feel sorry for both sides equally.
However, the gap is narrower among Americans between the ages of 18 and 34, 31% of whom sympathize with Israel and 23% of whom sympathize with the Palestinians. Another 31% said they sympathized with both sides in the conflict.
Members of the so-called “Squad” have raised concerns about the effects of war on Palestinians and called for a ceasefire. AFP via Getty Images
“I think the war is obviously very dangerous, not just among progressives, not just among Democrats,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
“At the end of the day, I think Biden will win this election. But what is happening now is not helping.”
The WSJ poll is in lockstep with other recent polls showing a deep gap on the left over the latest Middle East war.
A Palestinian supporter burns an Israeli flag during a rally near the Rockefeller tree lighting on November 29. Getty Images
A CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday found that the share of Democrats who believe President Biden has shown too much support for Israel jumped to 38% from 28% in October.
In a Wall Street Journal poll, more than two-thirds (69%) of Republicans expressed more sympathy for Israel, while only 2% sympathized more with the Palestinians and 17% said they sympathized with both equally.
The poll also found a majority disapproved (52%) of Biden’s handling of the Middle East war, while only 37% said they approved.
The poll also found that only 37% also approved of Biden’s overall job while in office while 61% disapproved.
The WSJ poll was conducted among 1,500 registered voters from November 29 to December 4. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
