Nearly half of Democrats favor more US support for Palestinians: poll
75% of GOP respondents disapproved of Biden's handling of the conflict, urged stronger support for Israel
A newly published poll on American attitudes toward the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians has revealed that approximately half of Democrats would like the United States to do more to support the latter.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll reveals sharp differences within the Democratic and Republican parties over the United States' approach to Israel and the Palestinians, with progressive Democrats calling for increased support for the Palestinians and conservative Republicans wishing for stronger support for the Israelis.
What was once termed a bipartisan issue, is now starkly divided along partisan, factional lines and public statements from each of the parties' lawmakers reflected in the attitudes of their respective supporters.
The survey also looked at how Americans think about how the Biden administration is handling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The poll was carried out about three weeks after the start of the still-fragile Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that followed an 11-day conflict last month between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The poll shows that Americans are broadly divided over US policy toward Israel and the Palestinians. It also shows that more Americans disapprove of US President Joe Biden's approach to the conflict than approve of it.
Among Democrats, 51 percent say that the United States does not support the Palestinians enough. This sentiment climbs to 62 percent among Democrats who describe themselves as "liberal." Across the aisle, 49 percent of Republicans assess that the United States does not support the Israelis enough, a figure that rises to 61 percent among those who identify as conservative.
According to the poll, there is an almost even split as to whether Americans assess that Biden, in general, is doing a good job on foreign policy. Eighty-two percent of Democrats approved of his work, while 78 percent of GOP supporters disapproved of the administration's foreign policy.
With regard to the Israel-Palestine conflict, 61 percent of Democrats approve of Biden's policy, while 75 percent of Republicans disapprove.