Americans wanting more US pressure on ‘Israel’, Poll finds

Washington (QNN)- Gallup’s annual update of Americans’ views on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has revealed a shift in sentiment among Americans regarding ‘Israel’ and the Palestinians.

For the first time, the majority of Democrats responded that the US should be putting more pressure on the Israeli occupation government than the Palestinian leadership.

The poll, published on Friday, said 53 percent of Democrats want US pressure to focus on ‘Israel’, compared with the 29 percent that said they want US pressure to be placed on the Palestinians.

That figure is up from 2018, when 43 percent of Democrats said they supported putting more pressure on ‘Israel’.

The findings continued among the general population, with the number of all Americans wanting more US pressure on ‘Israel’ increasing from 27 percent in 2018 to 34 percent in 2021.

The figures represent the highest level of demand for pressuring ‘Israel’ in Gallup’s data since 2007.

Over the same period, the percentage in favour of the US putting more pressure on both parties, or on neither, declined from 21 percent to 14 percent.

Among Republicans, support for ‘Israel’ has remained consistent, with the overwhelming majority still in favour of more pressure being applied to the Palestinians, instead of ‘Israel’.

Most of the increase since 2018 in wanting the U.S. to emphasize pressure on ‘Israel’ comes from Democrats, the majority of whom now take this position.

The 53% opting for more pressure on the Israelis is up from 43% in 2018 and no more than 38% in the decade before that, marking a substantive change in Democrats’ perspective on U.S. policy.

This contrasts with 31% of independents and 17% of Republicans in favor of the U.S. placing more pressure on the Israelis.

The majority of Republicans and about four in 10 independents still favor more pressure being applied to the Palestinians.

Support for the Palestinian Authority has meanwhile risen from nine percent to 19 percent among Republicans since 2001.

In general, 30 percent of Americans reported a positive view of the PA this year – a new high in Gallup’s trend on Palestine for the past two decades. In 2020 only 23 percent had a positive view of the PA.

The 75% viewing ‘Israel’ positively is unchanged from the 74% recorded a year ago and is above the 65% average since 2001. It is just shy of the all-time high 79% recorded during the 1991 Gulf War.

At the same time, the 30% now viewing the Palestinian Authority positively is up from 23% last year and compares with an average 19% since 2001. This marks a new high in Gallup’s trend on Palestine since 2000.

The findings come amid unprecedented moves in Congress, with critical demands coming from Capitol Hill, including those condemning Israel’s treatment of Palestinians during the Covid-19 pandemic, and a handful of lawmakers in support of applying conditions on US aid to ‘Israel’.

U.S. public support for an independent Palestinian state continues to register just above the majority level, with 52% holding this view today, similar to support during the prior two years. While the extent of that support has varied since 2000, the percentage in favor has consistently exceeded the percentage opposed.