Look at these numbers from a March 2015 Pew research poll closely. Overall, they state that Americans sympathize with Israel over the Palestinians. But drill down in the Democratic numbers and you see a different story.
Democrats sympathize with Israel over Palestinians– by just 57 to 54. That is a horse race, in one of our major political parties.
And now look at Liberal Dems: They sympathize with Palestinians over Israel by 68 to 60! That’s Obama’s and Hillary’s base, I remind you. These are the folks who will vote for Donna Edwards in Maryland.
Now consider the numbers for blacks, Hispanics, and the young. Israel wins all three groups: 50-47 among blacks; 45-34 for Hispanics; 54-46 among those under 30.
Yes, all those groups sympathize more with Israel than Palestinians. But the margins are very close. It just shows how fluid US politics are on this question; and as we approach the jubilee year of the occupation, those numbers can only go one way. This is why Peter Beinart said at J Street two weeks ago that the coming battle inside the pro-Israel establishment is not between liberal Zionists and AIPAC, but between liberal Zionists and the left. These numbers are why other polls show growing support for a one-state solution in Israel and Palestine, based on the radical principle, one person one vote.
(A grotesque aspect of the poll is that it juxtaposes Israel and Palestinians, a state and a stateless people.)
Pew also notices the balanced numbers:
Democrats have nearly comparable levels of sympathy for both sides in the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. Most Democrats (57%) have at least some sympathy for Israel (21% a lot). About as many (54%) have a lot or some sympathy with the Palestinians (16% a lot).
Liberal Democrats and conservative and moderate Democrats express similar levels of sympathy for Israel. But 68% of liberal Democrats have at least some sympathy for the Palestinians (22% a lot). By contrast, just 45% of conservative and moderate Democrats have at least some sympathy for the Palestinians (12% a lot).
A sizable portion of the public — 38% — has at least a lot or some sympathy for both Israel and the Palestinians in their dispute. Meanwhile, two-in-ten (20%) have lower levels of sympathies for both sides…
By contrast, just 14% of Democrats sympathize only with Israel; about as many (12%) sympathize only with the Palestinians. A plurality of Democrats (42%) have sympathies with both Israel and the Palestinians and nearly one-in-four (23%) have lower levels of sympathy for either side.
Consider that these numbers represent American opinions molded (or influenced) by an overwhelmingly pro-Israel political elite and MSM. EVEN WITH ALL THAT the numbers are not bad for Palestine. Think what the numbers would be if, for instance, the NYT published daily the Palestinians-killed, Palestinians-jailed, Palestinian-houses-destroyed figures that we tend to see here on MondoWeiss. Think how matters might change if a prominent American — the president comes to mind in these his last 22 months as president — were to make a succession of speeches telling Americans what’s going on. // Democracy without a free press isn’t worth much, and the American system (oligarchy) has a tightly regulated “free” press.
And liberal Democrats are a minority within a minority.
Year after year, Gallup asks the same question of Americans, year after year they get the same answer:
“In the Middle East Situation, are your sympathies more with the Israelis, or more with the Palestinians?”
In February of 2015, 6 months after the last Gaza conflict ended, Americans are more pro-Israel than they were a year earlier. by 62-16, about 4-1, Americans are more sympathetic to the Israelis, just as they have been for the last 25 years.
http://content.gallup.com/origin/gallupinc/GallupSpaces/Production/Cms/POLL/tgrxojhtdko7ax5bp5xkrq.png
http://www.gallup.com/poll/181652/seven-americans-continue-view-israel-favorably.aspx
Moreover, the State of ISrael has a 70% approval rating among Americans vs 17% for the “moderate” Palestinian Authority. Don’t even bother asking about the “approval” rating for Hamas.
The echo chamber of Mondoweiss is in denial
http://content.gallup.com/origin/gallupinc/GallupSpaces/Production/Cms/POLL/u7k3mgeukuw_kxbx0cmswg.png
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again with the polls
by far not my fav.
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sympathize is the ‘hang’ word
define the issue (it’s not about race or religion)
switch it to support or agree with
.
in this issue
Palestine is in the right
Israel is wrong
.
a fair poll would ask
would you like to be treated this way
then one by one list some of the many
ways the Palestines are being/have been wronged
not just by Israel by the world
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things i know
suffering is not the worst
causing suffering is
being hurt is not the worst
hurting someone is
pain is not the worst
causing pain is
death is not the worst
causing death is
being hated is not the worst
hating is
.
G-d Bless
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The likes of us used to be negligible and laughable in the Western world, particularly the United States. Now we’re noticeable rather than negligible and taken a little seriously. The swing of opinion against destructive and disastrous wars and interventions in the ME has made quite a difference. And I believe Mondoweiss has helped enormously. The next step is from noticeable to significant, which would mean that there was a bloc of genuinely concerned public opinion that politicians had to think about. We’re not there by a long way yet and there are still very dark clouds over the road ahead.
Reading this poll its becoming increasingly clear that Operation Install Hillary in the WH and pretend it’s the 1990s again – is doomed to fail and fail badly.
You won’t be able to put the image of Israel together in the same way. America has some military interests in Israel which will continue but the people who talk about a “special interest” typically are only Zionists, and they are numerous in the top echelons but you don’t hear it among the people unless you only hang around Christian end-timers.