Study: More Republicans than Democrats see Israel as a US ally

2024-10-02 16:33:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Study: More Republicans than Democrats see Israel as a US ally

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Source: AP

After nearly a year of fighting between Israel and Hamas, American public opinion remains polarized on the conflict, according to a study by the Pearson Institute, the NORC Center for the Study of Public Affairs and the Associated Press news agency. According to the study, Democrats are more likely to be critical of Israel, while Republicans continue to be more supportive.

There are some points on which there is some sort of consensus—about half of American adults, for example, say Hamas bears "a lot" of responsibility for the continuation of the war, while about a quarter say it bears "some" responsibility, and 2 of 10 people say that there is "not much" responsibility or "not at all".

But Americans remain divided on the level of responsibility of the Israeli government for the continuation of the conflict. The study finds that during the last year, the party gap that existed at the beginning of the conflict has not changed, either to widen or to narrow.

Democrats continue to be more supportive of the Palestinians than Republicans and more critical of Israel. While Republicans are more likely to support Israel and see it as an ally of the United States that has similar values ??and interests.

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The study, however, does not indicate whether public opinion will change as the war in the Middle East expands beyond Gaza. The survey was conducted between September 12-16, before the Israeli military expanded its operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon and before Tuesday's missile attack by Iran on Israel. Hamas, based in Gaza, and Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, are militant groups considered terrorist organizations by the United States and allies of Iran.

Americans generally do not blame the United States government

President Joe Biden has maintained the continuity of vital military support for Israel throughout the war in Gaza, while he has tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to achieve a ceasefire. Americans generally say that Hamas is "most" to blame for the continuation of the war, followed by the Israeli government, the government of Iran and groups supported by Iran.

They give much less responsibility to America. Only 10 percent of Americans say the U.S. government bears "a lot" of responsibility for the continuation of the war between Israel and Hamas, while 40 percent say it has "some" responsibility and 45 percent say the United States "doesn't have much" or no responsibility at all.

Democrats are slightly more likely than Republicans to say the United States has "some kind of" responsibility, but overall partisan differences on the issue are small.

Study: More Republicans than Democrats see Israel as a US ally

Brian Grider, a 48-year-old Republican from Ohio, is not sure how the United States can end the conflict.

"I don't know if we can do anything," he said. “It would be nice if we could and we might want to try, but will it work? Maybe not."

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to view Israel as an ally

A year of fighting appears to have confirmed the partisan divide over the war and the United States' relationship with Israel.

About half of Republicans see Israel as an ally of the United States with shared values ??and interests, while about half of Democrats think that Israel is a partner with which the United States should cooperate but does not share the same values ??and interests. Americans.

More than half of Democrats also say the Israeli government bears "a great deal" of responsibility for the continuation of the war, compared to 40 percent of Republicans.

Brian Becker, a 49-year-old Colorado Democrat, says his views on the war changed after he heard more on social media about Palestinians and Palestinian Americans who were harmed by the war.

"I thought that wasn't fair to them," Mr. Becker said. "So it started to change my mind a little bit, I started to give some support to Palestine," he said. "Whereas before I probably would have just been: 'Yes, before Israel!'"

On the other hand, about half of Republicans say they feel more support for Israelis than Palestinians, while Democrats are more likely to say they support both groups equally.

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Mr. Grider, Republican of Ohio, thinks Israel responded appropriately to the Oct. 7 attack, noting similarities to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

"I absolutely don't think Israel is doing more than it needs to in response to what happened to it," he said.

General views on the war remain stable

Views on the Israel-Hamas conflict and the role of the United States in mediation have not changed much during the year.

Support for the creation of an independent Palestinian state rose slightly, from around 20 percent in August 2023, to around 30 percent now. (About half of Americans currently say they neither favor nor oppose an independent Palestinian state, and about 20 percent oppose it.) There is also a slight increase in the percentage of Americans who think the United States supports Israel more than necessary.

But about 40 percent of American adults continue to say the United States is spending "more than it should" on military aid to Israel in the war, while a similar percentage say U.S. aid is "about the right amount." ". About 10 percent say U.S. aid is "too little," according to a NORC Center survey conducted in early 2024.

Study: More Republicans than Democrats see Israel as a US ally

Americans' differing opinions on the war in Gaza reflect the complexity of a conflict where Americans can see bad actors and innocent victims on both sides, says Paul Poast, a political science scholar at the University of Chicago and the Pearson Institute.

"It makes people have very strong views on both sides, which of course we've seen," Mr Poast said. And that does not constitute, he added, "a stable position in support of Israel, or in support of the Palestinians."

Hamas killed around 1,200 people in Israel on October 7 and took many hostages, some of whom are still being held in Gaza. Israel's military operations in Gaza have killed over 41,000 Palestinians. Health officials in Gaza do not distinguish between civilians and fighters in recording the death toll, but say many of those killed are women and children.

Charles Jolivette, a 42-year-old Democrat in New Orleans who became concerned about Israel's offensive after discussions with friends and colleagues of Palestinian heritage, has noticed a phenomenon where people with opposing views on the issue seem to listen only views that reflect their beliefs.

"But I would like there to be more," Mr. Jolivette said, referring to exchanges of views with people who see the conflict differently. And that "not just the mainstream media, but the American people, have the opportunity to have these real conversations."

The survey was conducted among 1,111 American adults, who were selected according to the NORC Center's probability formula, which is intended to reflect the composition of the United States population. The margin of error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.95 percent./ VOA