Americans’ sympathies for Israel matched an all-time high according to a Gallup
poll released on Friday, just five days before US President Barack Obama was
scheduled to visit Israel for the first time as president.
According to
the poll, Americans heavily favor the Israelis over the Palestinians, 64 percent
versus 12%.
While partiality to Israel has topped 60% consistently since
2010, the 64% recorded in Friday’s poll matched the previous record seen in
1991, during the first Gulf War. In the 1991 Gallup poll, only 7% of respondents
sympathized more with Palestinians than Israelis.
Analysis of the poll
data showed that Republicans, conservatives and older Americans were more likely
to be partial to Israel.
Republicans (78%) were much more likely to
sympathize with Israel than Democrats (55%), according to the poll. Democratic
support for the state has increased by four percentage points since 2001, while
Republican support jumped 18 percentage points in the same period.
The
percentage of respondents favoring the Palestinians increases with formal
education, ranging from 8% of those with no college experience to 20% of
postgraduates.
“Palestinians receive the highest sympathy from Democrats,
liberals, and postgraduates, but even among these, support tops off at 24%,”
according to Gallup.