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Sorry, Squad Members, Poll Shows the American People Support Israel

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  October 17, 2023 9:00 AM

Earlier this month, Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, making October 7 the bloodiest day in the country's history and resulting in the most Jews killed since the end of the Holocaust. There have been at least 1,400 Israelis killed – most of them civilians – and now at least 30 Americans killed. This was Israel's 9/11, and the country is understandably taking action against Hamas, as civilians in Gaza are given the chance to flee. The response from some in the Democratic Party, however, is not what it ought to be, especially when it comes to members of the Squad, such as Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

As horrible as the responses from these members have been in what they've said or not said, a new poll from CNN released on Sunday shows that their views are not in line with the American people. 

The poll shows a whopping 96 percent of Americans have at least some sympathy for Israelis, with 71 percent saying they have "a lot" of sympathy. Similarly, 87 percent say they have sympathy for Palestinians, although a plurality, at 46 percent, say they have "some" sympathy. Young people (54 percent), liberals (56 percent), Democrats (49 percent), and those who lean Democratic (51 percent) are more likely to have sympathy for Palestinians, with close to a majority or even a majority of those demographics saying they have "a lot" of sympathy.

A write-up from CNN addressed the differences here as well:

But here too, there are divides by age and party, with younger Americans and Democrats likelier to express a lot of sympathy for the Palestinian people than Republicans and older Americans. Majorities across party lines express a lot of sympathy for the Israeli people (78% of Republicans, 68% of independents and 67% of Democrats), but there is a broad gap between the share of Democrats (49%) and independents (47%) who have a lot of sympathy for the Palestinian people and the share of Republicans who say the same (26%).

The division by age appears even wider: Among those age 65 or older, 87% have a lot of sympathy for the Israeli people, while 36% feel the same toward Palestinians. Among those younger than 35, 61% say they have a lot of sympathy for the Israeli people and nearly the same share, 54%, say the same about the Palestinian people.

Regarding what respondents think of Israel's response, the poll provides a cold dose of reality for those who accuse Israel of not acting in a justified manner. Seventy-one percent of Americans say Israel has been justified when it comes to "the Israeli government's military response to the Hamas attacks," which includes 50 percent who say the country has been "fully justified."

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That slightly changes when it comes to young people, as 57 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 say Israel is justified, but 29 percent say they're not sure how justified Israel is. 

Members of the Squad, particularly Reps. Tlaib and Omar, have lamented at great length Israel's retaliatory actions, even as they stay silent on the atrocities Hamas committed against Israelis. These Squad members and others introduced a resolution demanding "de-escalation" and "a ceasefire." If Israel did as much, it would likely cease to exist.

Hamas didn't just kill innocent men, women, children, and the elderly. Many people were taken hostage. Women were tortured and raped, with their bodies also being desecrated by Hamas. Children, babies even, were murdered, with some at a kibbutz even beheaded or burned. The official Israel X account released those images last Thursday. 

The poll also shows that Americans seem to support aid for Israel, something the Squad members and others who condemn Israel for protecting its right to exist have thrown fits over. Although a plurality, 36 percent, say they're not sure when it comes to "the assistance the US is providing Israel in response to the current situation," 35 percent say they think the assistance is "about right." Just 15 percent think there's been "too much" assistance. 

Democrats (47 percent), liberals (40 percent), and lean Democratic (45 percent) respondents are most likely to believe that the assistance is "about right," with pluralities of each demographic saying so. 

However, there's bad news for President Joe Biden, his administration, and even more so potentially for the country out of the poll. 

For instance, a majority (53 percent) say they do not have much confidence or don't have any confidence at all when it comes to how much they trust Biden "to make the right decisions on the fighting between Israel and Hamas." Just 47 percent say they have confidence.

Two-thirds are also worried "that the fighting between Israel and Hamas will lead to terrorism in the US." The administration's failure to handle what's already been a crisis at the southern border certainly doesn't help as international crises have become more dire. 

As Leah covered on Monday, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that there's been an increase in domestic threats, and Fox News' Griff Jenkins has posted and reposted about Iranians being apprehended at the border. The Wall Street Journal reported not long after Hamas attacked Israel that Iran had supported the terrorist group. 

The poll was conducted October 12-13 with 1,003 adult respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

It's worth mentioning that last week we covered a poll from The Economist/YouGov that still showed support from the American people over Israel, though Democrats and young people did not support Israel at the same level. Another difference is that, unlike that poll from The Economist/YouGov, the CNN poll referred to Hamas, rather than phrasing the matter as being about Israelis and Palestinians.