U.S. policies toward the Middle East come under considerable criticism in the new poll. In 20 of 21 populations surveyed – Americans are the only exception – pluralities or majorities believe the United States favors Israel over the Palestinians too much. This opinion is shared in Israel; 47% of Israelis believe that the U.S. favors Israel too much, while 38% say the policy is fair and 11% think the U.S. favors the Palestinians too much.
And since it's US taxpayer money that is paying for what the government of Israel does to the Palestinians, the impressions US citizens have about Palestinians is critically important in helping to determine how they will be treated by the government of Israel. So the promotion of distorted beliefs about the people involved can and does directly translate into profound and often tragic consequences for many, many innocent people, both Palestinians as well as Israelis.