Commentary: A recently released Gallup poll shows that 70% of Americans view Israel favorably. Accordingly, Americans are almost four times as likely to sympathize with the Israelis than with the Palestinians. This is in stark contrast to poll data from many European countries, which consistantly rank Israel near the bottom of the list of countries viewed favorably. However, it fits nicely with a poll released last year by the Pew Research Center that showed that Jews were viewed favorably more than any other religious group in the United States. Both of these trends are no doubt largely fueled by a Jewish-dominated press that emits a constant stream of subtle and not-so-subtle pro-Israel and pro-Jewish propaganda.
Seven in 10 Americans Continue to View Israel Favorably
PRINCETON, N.J. — Even as relations between the leaders of Israel and the United States reportedly deteriorate over disagreement about how to handle Iran’s nuclear program, Israel has retained its broadly favorable image in the U.S. over the past year. Seventy percent of Americans now view that country favorably, and 62% say they sympathize more with the Israelis than the Palestinians in the Mideast conflict. By contrast, 17% currently view the Palestinian Authority favorably, and 16% sympathize more with the Palestinians.
These attitudes, from Gallup’s Feb. 8-11 World Affairs survey, are unchanged from a year ago, suggesting that neither the evident friction between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nor the 50-day conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip last year, greatly affected how each is perceived in the U.S.
