Each year, pollsters ask American voters who they sympathize with more between Israel and Palestine. In 2016, Americans sympathized with Israel over Palestine 54 percent-19 percent per Pew, and 62 percent-15 percent per Gallup. Both pollsters found that large margined majorities/pluralities of Republicans, Democrats, and independents sympathize with Israel.
Put another way, if Israel and Palestine were presidential nominees, Israel would win 50 states and DC and all 538 electoral votes. Presidents Nixon and Reagan won nationally by 23 percent and 18 percent, respectively, point margins and captured 49 states. Israel’s 35 percent (Pew) and 47 percent (Gallup) margins would easily grab that last one.
The results continue a decades’ long trend — one which strengthened after 2001. By acquiescing to Bernie Sanders’s platform committee choices James Zogby and Cornel West (both BDS supporters who seek to alter the platform regarding Israel/Palestine), Democrats risk allowing the far-left to affect the presidential race.
Sanders’ supporters cite that Democrats who identify as “liberal” now sympathize with the Palestine more than Israel, per Pew. However, the 39 percent-33 percent result among liberal Democrats, a 6-percent difference, is within the Pew poll’s 6.5 percent sampling error. Liberals are indeed a plurality of Democrats, but moderate/conservative Democrats are the majority, one which favors Israel 53 percent-19 percent. (Pew)
Despite musings of some progressives, Evangelical and Jewish sentiments are not the primary reasons for America’s pro-Israel stance. Both groups only comprise a combined 27 percent of the population.
Americans’ pro-Israel stance exists because of Israel’s sole status as a free society in the Middle East (verified by Freedom House’s “Freedom in the World” rankings), kinship with its anti-terrorism effort, and Cold War-era cooperation against Soviet-armed states and militants.
Democrats should already be weary of Donald Trump’s strong polling on terrorism/national security. One way to bolster his standing would be for Democrats to capitulate to the far-left fringe. Such could not only alienate its longstanding Jewish voting bloc, but play into Trump’s “soft on terror” accusations.
Such could resonate with the broader electorate, given the commonality between ISIS, Hamas, Al-Qaeda, and lone-wolf jihadists: all murdered in pursuit of their perverted vision of Islam while shouting the takbir.
John Christopher
