Support for 'Israel' on the decline among UK, US citizens: Poll

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: UnHerd
13 Dec 2023 16:31
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A recent poll by YouGov shows an increase in sympathy for Palestine among US and UK citizens in the few days after October 7.

Protesters march during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023 (AP)

Amid the US government's unwavering support for "Israel's" genocide in Gaza, pro-Palestinian sentiments among the local public are on the rise.

Recent statistics showed that support for "Israel" has dropped by a drastic 14-point percentage between October and November of this year. Polling company YouGov conducted a survey asking respondents which side of the war they sympathized with more over multiple time integrals. Right after October 7, US adults' net sympathy for "Israel" spiked to 38% but saw a rapid decline to 24% just a few days later.

In the UK, a large discrepancy can be observed, as net sympathy remained almost constant at approximately 5% following October 7 but saw a slight decline in the weeks that followed.

Lower rates have been documented among both populations' youth. In the US, sympathy with "Israel" among youth rose after October 7, then dramatically decreased to negative values, before neutralizing. In the UK, sympathy was fluctuating in negative zones.

Opinions on "Israel" largely fall along party lines, with right-wing voters favoring "Israel" and left-wing voters holding more critical views of the entity and its military activities.

This indicates and affirms that left-leaning individuals, more common among the younger population, mostly Gen Z, are critical of "Israel" and sympathize more with Palestine, while right-leaning individuals, mostly adults, are prone to show less pro-Palestinian support than pro-Israeli.

However, to recapitulate, a general overview of the results provided by YouGov indicates less bias in sympathy for "Israel" and Palestine, with pro-Palestinian sympathy increasing substantially.

Palestine divides Americans: Axios

In November, a report by Axios showed that Palestine, especially in light of the Israeli war against Gaza, has become a deeply divisive topic among Americans. Anti-Zionist discourse has grown increasingly amplified, especially on college campuses, getting wrongfully framed as anti-semitic, while Zionist sympathizers have resorted to Islamophobic bigotry.

The report raises concern that the division over this issue is roiling American society and has the potential to reshape US politics.

“Most foreign policy issues do not generate these kinds of strong feelings in the US,” says Guy Ziv, a professor at American University’s School of International Service. “There has always been a disproportionate interest in this issue.”

He explains that social media has exacerbated the divisions with the increasingly amplified anti-Zionist discourse and the Islamophobic counter-discourse.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations says it received 774 complaints about Islamophobic incidents between Oct. 7 and Oct. 24, the report cites. Meanwhile, 213 cases of alleged "anti-semitism" were recorded over the same period.

A pro-Palestinian protestor is seen covering a statue of #US founding father Benjamin Franklin with a Palestinian keffiyeh during mass demonstrations in #Washington, DC. #Palestine pic.twitter.com/cBc6kyk5AT
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 5, 2023

The people have spoken

Last week, a letter by White House interns demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza circulated. The letter accused Joe Biden of ignoring the "pleas of the American people" as extensive calls in support of Palestine were spread across the country, and over 400 US officials expressed the necessity of a humanitarian ceasefire.

Palestine Action has also been increasingly active in the UK, organizing protests outside arms manufacturing companies and exerting pressure on the government to sever all ties with the Israeli genocide.

More than 100 pro-Palestine events across the UK took place over a weekend in November to demand a ceasefire in Gaza in the form of vigils, protests, and fundraisers.

Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Ben Jamal, stated that the protests were organized to demonstrate that “ordinary people” support a ceasefire in Gaza.

“They will show their solidarity with Palestinians who are suffering unimaginable harm. They will also demand the root causes are not forgotten: Israel’s decades-long military occupation of Palestinian territories and its system of apartheid against Palestinians," he said.