80% of Americans Support Israel Over Hamas
We hear constantly that Israel is losing the information war, that the nightly scenes of buildings reduced to rubble in Gaza, and the latest Hamas-concocted numbers of “dead civilians” or, alternatively, and even more misleading, of “women and children killed,” are leading to a significant loss of support for the Jewish state.
This turns out to be false.
Israel is doing the very best it can to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza. It continues to warn civilians away from targets the IDF is about to hit, through leafleting, messaging, and telephoning. So far the IDF has dropped six million leaflets, made 14 million prerecorded phone calls, and 72,000 personal calls. Those warnings, of course, reach not only civilians but also Hamas operatives. No other army in the history of the world has warned its enemy of exactly where impending attacks will take place. It is this practice, among others, that led British Colonel Richard Kemp to describe the IDF as “the most moral army in the world.”
These concerns [about civilian casualties in Gaza] are fueled by Biden’s low approval rating on the issue — as only 39% of voters say that they approve of his handling of the war — along with large-scale anti-Israel protests across the country and pressure from within the administration.
However, that number is primarily driven by Republican opposition to Biden, as only 19% of Republicans say they approve of his handling of the war and 61% of Democrats approve. Additionally, New York Times polling from December found that among those who disapprove of Biden’s handling of the war, nearly as many say it is due to being too pro-Palestinian as it is due to be too pro-Israel (16% vs 19%).
So much for all the talk of a groundswell of opposition to Biden for not doing enough to pressure Israel into accepting a ceasefire. In fact, Israel has just offered Hamas a two-month ceasefire, in exchange for the release of all the hostages. Hamas turned the offer down flat.
Meanwhile, all the claims that Israel has been engaging in “genocide” have not done a great deal to lessen support for Israel among Americans. The Jewish state has never engaged in “genocide,” so the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where South Africa preposterously opened a case against Israel on this charge, need not worry on that score. The ruling handed down by the ICJ in The Hague on January 26 could have been much worse. The Court might have agreed with South Africa’s contention that in Gaza the Jewish state is engaged in “ethnic cleansing” or in “genocide.” It might have ordered an “immediate ceasefire” or, still worse, a complete withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza. The ICJ did none of those things. Israel has not been told to pull out of Gaza; the ICJ recognized the atrocities of October 7 and the right of Israel to self-defense. It also spoke of the need for Hamas to free the hostages. Nor did the ICJ seek to impose a ceasefire, of any length, on the Jewish state. For those decisions by the ICJ, just announced, as to what it condemns and what it condones, Israel should now breathe a sigh of great relief.
More on the latest opinion poll on Israel and Hamas can be found here:
Poll: 80 Percent of Voters Support Israel Over Hamas
by Jack Elbaum, Algemeiner, January 23, 2024:
A new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll shows the vast majority of Americans still support Israel over Hamas, suggesting concerns about the electoral impact of President Joe Biden’s decision to stand with Israel may be overblown.
The poll found that 80 percent of respondents said they support Israel over Hamas in the current war, while only 20 percent support Hamas over Israel. The majority of every sub-group polled supports Israel more than Hamas — including those aged 18-24, where the split is 57% support of Israel and 43% support of Hamas.
These numbers are released within the context of mounting concern in recent months that young people, Muslim voters, and the progressive wing of the Democratic party may be so upset with Biden over his support of Israel that it will reconsider their support for him in the 2024 election and thus put his chances for re-election in jeopardy.
US President Joe Biden has fully supported Israel and its military campaign to destroy Hamas and rescue the hostages since Hamas’s October 7th terrorist attack, but has also pressured Israel to take additional humanitarian measures in Gaza to reduce civilian casualties.
[ … ]
This suggests that while there is a minority of the Democratic party that substantially disagrees with Biden’s approach to Israel, it is much smaller than metrics such as issue approval rating let on. At the same time, a small number of votes can be a deciding factor in an election.
The Harvard CAPS-Harris poll was conducted online between Jan. 17-18 and garnered responses from 2,346 registered voters.
AUTHOR
Hugh Fitzgerald
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POST ON X:
Israel Defense Forces COMPLETED its operation at Al-Shifa hospital.
It took down 200 Hamas terrorists, CAPTURED over 500 terrorists, and saved 6000 civilians.
Instead of condemning Hamas for turning a hospital into a terrorist HQ, the World Health Organization chooses silence… pic.twitter.com/813RmCM9O0
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) April 1, 2024
EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.
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