The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #160410   Message #3830016
Posted By: Keith A of Hertford
02-Jan-17 - 11:50 AM
Thread Name: BS: Labour party discussion
Subject: RE: BS: Labour party discussion
This is from the Jewish Virtual Library, but I am sure you will not dispute the poll figures given.
OK Greg?
OK Steve?

The best indication of Americans' attitude toward Israel is found in the response to the most consistently asked question about the Middle East: "In the Middle East situation, are your sympathies more with Israel or with the Arab nations?" The organization that has conducted the most surveys is Gallup. In the most recent poll, reported by Gallup in February 2016, 62% sympathized with Israel, just below 2013's all-time high of 64%. This exceeds the level of support (56%) Israel enjoyed after the 1967 war, when many people mistakenly believe that Israel was overwhelmingly popular. Meanwhile, only 15% expressed support for the Palestinians.
In recent years Gallup has noted that many Americans have moved from "no preference" into the pro-Israeli column. Even when support for Israel dips, as occurred during Operation Protective Edge (July 8-August 26, 2014), when the NBC/WSJ and Pew polls found a decline in support to 46% and 51%, respectively, support for the Palestinians does not increase (it was 14% in both polls). Moreover, support for Israel inevitably bounces back as evident from the 2015 polls.
In 87 Gallup polls going back to 1967, Israel has had the support of an average of 48% of the American people compared to 12% for the Arab states/Palestinians. The results are similar (48%-12%) when all 251 polls asking similar questions are included. Americans have slightly more sympathy for the Palestinians than for the Arab states, but the results of polls asking respondents to choose between Israel and the Palestinians have not differed significantly from the other surveys.
Overall, support for Israel has been on the upswing since 1967. In the 1970s, the average level of support for Israel was 44%, in the 1980s and 1990s, it was 47%, including the record highs during the Gulf War. Since 2000, support for Israel is averaging 53%. In the 46 polls conducted during President Obama's term from multiple sources, support for Israel has soared to an average 55%, continuing an upward trend since the 1980s, while sympathy for the Palestinians has sunk to 12%, continuing a downward spiral that also began in the 1980s. On average, in all polls, Israel is favored by more than 4 to 1.