- The Media Line - https://themedialine.org -

Poll: American Support For Israel Among Highest-Ever Recorded

A new Gallup poll shows that backing for Israel among Americans remains extremely high, albeit with some indications that support is decreasing among Democrats and young adults. In a report outlining the findings, titled “Americans remain staunchly in Israel’s corner,” the company noted that fully 74 percent of American adults have a favorable view of Israel, compared to 23% that holds unfavorable opinions. It marks the best showing for Israel since 1991, at the height of the First Gulf War, when 79% of Americans expressed positive views of Israel as it was being targeted by Iraqi Scud missiles. However, levels of support vary according to political affiliation, with support for Israel at 83% among Republicans, 72% among independents and 64% among Democrats. As regards the Palestinians, only 21 percent of Americans expressed a positive view of them, whereas 71% reported an unfavorable one. With respect to the conflict, specifically, 64% of Americans are more sympathetic toward Israelis than Palestinians, tying the previously recorded high in 1991 and 2013. At the same time, backing for the Palestinians is at 19%, “among the highest percentages favoring the Arab side” since 1988. When breaking down the numbers further, the poll found that Americans 55 years-old and up favored Israel over the Palestinian Authority by a margin of 80% to 18%, whereas support for the PA jumps to 31% among those aged 18-34, perhaps lending credence to the suggestion that the next generation of Americans, Jews and non-Jews alike, are distancing themselves from Israel. Moreover, there is a discrepancy along partisan lines, with Republican sympathy for Israel over the Palestinians at an all-time high of 87%, up from 81% last year, while Democrats’ sympathy for Israelis is at 49%, two points higher than in 2017 but lower than the 58% Israel enjoyed in 2014 during its most recent conflict with Hamas.