A new poll conducted by The New York Times in collaboration with Siena College has revealed a dramatic shift in American voters’ attitudes toward Israel, particularly amid the ongoing war of extermination in Gaza. The results indicate a significant drop in popular U.S. support for Israel, a traditional ally that for decades enjoyed broad bipartisan backing.
اضافة اعلان
After nearly two years of war, the survey found that a large share of American voters hold strongly negative views of the Israeli government’s handling of the conflict. Forty percent of Americans now believe Israel is deliberately killing civilians, compared with about 20% after October 7, 2023.
Additionally, 60% of voters said Israel should end its military campaign in Gaza, even if hostages are not released or Hamas is not eliminated.
For the first time since the paper began asking about sympathies in 1998, the poll showed that more Americans sympathize with Palestinians than with Israelis. In a survey conducted after the October 7, 2023 attacks, 47% sympathized with Israel and 20% with Palestinians. In the new poll, 34% sympathize with Israel, 35% with Palestinians, and 31% said they are unsure or sympathize equally with both sides.
The survey also showed that a majority of American voters oppose sending additional economic or military aid to Israel—a stunning shift in public opinion since the October 7 attacks.
The paper noted that the change in attitudes is largely driven by a sharp decline in Democratic voter support for Israel. The poll found that 54% of Democrats sympathize more with Palestinians, compared to just 13% with Israel.
More than 80% of Democrats said Israel should stop the war, and about 60% believe Israel is deliberately killing civilians.
The survey further indicated that younger voters, regardless of party affiliation, are less supportive of continued U.S. aid to Israel, with around 70% of voters under 30 opposing additional economic or military assistance.
This decline marks an unusual shift in American public opinion, particularly in an era of deep political polarization, where attitudes typically change gradually except in catastrophic events such as wars.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation army continues its ground deployment across several main axes in Gaza City, while intensifying bombardment and demolitions of residential buildings and facilities in those areas, in an effort to occupy the city and displace its Palestinian population.
With U.S. backing, Israel has since October 7, 2023 carried out genocide in Gaza, leaving 66,055 Palestinians martyred and 168,346 wounded—most of them children and women—alongside famine that has claimed the lives of 442 people, including 147 children.
—(Al Jazeera)
