WASHINGTON: Democrats and Republicans appear to have broadly different opinions about Israel and the Palestinians, according to a new poll that shows voters who support President Barack Obama believe the US is weakened by its support for Israel, with only one in five seeing the US as strengthened.
Significantly, when asked which is more important to the US — relations with Israel, the Arabs, or both — only 7 percent of Obama voters said Israel, 17 percent said the Arabs, and 68 percent said both. On the other hand, 46 percent of McCain voters said that the US relationship with Israel is most important, only 3 percent emphasized relations with the Arabs, while 48 percent said both.
The survey, conducted by the American market research company Zogby International, polled the views of 4,340 American adults between April 1 and April 4.
The results are most apparent among Democratic voters, with nearly 70 percent of them favoring a tougher US line on Israeli settlements.
The findings shows overall, 71 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Israel, compared to only 25 percent who approve of the Palestinians. Nearly 50 percent regarded aid to both sides as excessive — and the same percentage would like the administration to steer a “middle course” between them. Despite heavy Palestinian casualties during the recent conflict in Gaza, 36 percent said they are now more supportive of Israel, compared to 29 percent who were not, according to the Zogby International poll, conducted in April for the Doha Debate, a BBC program based in Qatar.
What also is significant is that the survey found that both majorities believed that a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is important; that the conflict negatively impacts US interests in the Middle East; that both Israelis and Palestinians are entitled to equal rights; and that there should be a Palestinian state. Overall, the survey established that, while favorable attitudes toward Israel remain strong, pluralities of Americans believe that Obama should pursue a policy less supportive of Israel than his predecessor.
They believe he ought to “get tough” with Israel on settlements, and “steer a middle course between Israel and the Palestinians.”
Writing about the issue for the Arab American Instate, Dr. James Zogby noted: “Americans do support Israel, to be sure. But, are the interests of the two countries identical, and does its support for Israel strengthen or weaken the US?
“It appears from the results of the survey that the recent war in Gaza served to widen the gap between the two groups of voters. Half of Obama supporters said that war made them less supportive of Israel, while two-thirds of McCain voters actually say that the Gaza war made them more supportive of Israel,” wrote Zogby.
When asked what Obama should do? Seventy-three of those polled who voted for Obama say he should “steer a middle course,” with only 10 percent saying he should support Israel and 6 percent saying he should support the Palestinians.
A completely different response come from the McCain voters, 60 percent of whom say the president should support Israel. Only 22 percent of McCain supporters say the president should be balanced in his approach to the conflict.
“The dominant role of the religious right, which now comprises up to one-third of the base of the Republican Party, coupled with the degree to which neo-conservativism has come to define the world view of that party, have contributed to a significant reorientation of the GOP,” wrote Zogby, Executive Director of AAI, adding:
“These two strands of thought were brought together by George W. Bush, who also embraced Ariel Sharon, and, post-9/11, characterized the struggles of Israel and the US as identical. As a result, it now appears that the GOP is no longer the party of George Herbert Walker Bush and James Baker, but an entirely new entity.”
