Press. voanews.com.
The bitter
divisions in the United States are being felt across the world in the Middle
East, where Israel is emerging as an increasingly partisan issue in the Trump
era. A new opinion poll released Tuesday showed U.S. Republicans to be far more
supportive of Israel than their Democratic counterparts. It also found Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of President Donald Trump, to be a
divisive figure.
The findings by
the Pew Research Center could be a cause for concern for Israel, which has traditionally
relied on broad bipartisan support in America. "I think it's a very
concerning trend," said Sallai Meridor, who served as Israeli ambassador
to the U.S. a decade ago. "For Israel, the bipartisan support of the
American people is a strategic asset."
He said the poll
is "concerning and saddening" because the countries have so much in
common. "There are many reasons for Democrats to see in Israel a mirror of
their deep values and beliefs," he said, pointing to his country's commitment
to free speech, a universal health care system and its support for gay rights.
The poll,
however, found a far different sentiment. It showed that 79 percent of
Republicans sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinians, compared with
just 27 percent of Democrats. It said the partisan divide was the widest it has
been since 1978, the earliest year it provided for comparison.
Just 49 percent
of Republicans and 44 percent of Democrats sympathized with Israel in 1978, Pew
said. Netanyahu also is seen through a partisan lens. Fifty-two percent of
Republicans view him favorably, compared to just 18 percent of Democrats.
The survey did
not analyze the reasons for the partisan divide, but Netanyahu's close ties
with Trump, a polarizing leader beloved by his supporters and reviled by his
opponents, appears to be a factor. That friendship was on display during this
week's warm reception for Vice President Mike Pence in Israel.
The share of
liberal Democrats who sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinians has
plummeted from 33 percent to 19 percent since 2016 alone, the survey found.
Netanyahu's
hard-line policies toward the Palestinians, characterized by his strong support
for West Bank settlement construction and a four-year breakdown in
negotiations, may also be alienating Democrats. "America is terribly
divided today and Israel is perceived to be very close to a president that the
other part of America is very much against," Meridor said. "Over time
I think it has its toll."
Meridor said
Israel must be careful to reach out to all segments of American society. He
also suggested a serious peace push with the Palestinians would help. "I
think it's very important that we always make an effort to reach accommodation
and peace with our neighbors. It would help in maintaining more support among
Democrats in America," he said, declining to discuss specific Israeli
policies.
In another sign
of trouble for Israel, the survey said young people are more divided in their
sympathies, with 32 percent of people under 30 favoring Israel, and 23 percent
sympathizing more with the Palestinians. Respondents ages 50-64, for instance,
favored Israel by a margin of 56 percent to 12 percent.
Jay Ruderman,
president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which sponsors educational trips
for Israeli politicians to meet American Jews, said the results were not
surprising given the deep divisions in American society. He said that with most
American Jews supporting the Democrats, Netanyahu's close alliance with Trump
is risky.
"It's not
playing well to the vast majority of Americans. I don't think it's playing well
to the vast majority of the Jewish community," he said. With Trump facing
midterm elections later this year, Ruderman said Netanyahu should be hedging
his bets. "That short-term alliance with Trump could have devastating
effects," he said. "Things could look very different at the end of this
year."
Netanyahu was
traveling on Tuesday and aides were not reachable for comment. Marc Zell,
chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, said he too was concerned by the
partisan divide in the U.S., but rejected the idea that Netanyahu was
responsible. Instead, he claimed the Democratic Party has lost its way. "Israel
should be concerned about the fact that the Democratic Party has moved
leftwards and is now adopting a lot of radical positions," he said. The
Pew survey questioned 1,503 people from Jan. 10-15 and had a margin of error of
2.9 percentage points.