Pew Research has a new poll out measuring American's opinions of the current situation in Gaza. Not surprisingly of course, most of us support Israel by pretty solid numbers. What did strike me however was the partisan gap in support:
Then there was this:
This may seem pretty obvious to some, but I see it as containing both potentially worrying and positive information for Israel. The Jewish State's support has historically come from the Democratic Party, with the GOP only jumping on with the rise of the religious right. And while I don't think unwavering Democratic support for Israel has always been in its best interest, I think unwavering Republican support will be only worse. After all, at least the Democratic Party has American Jews who are aware that the settlements are a threat to Israel's long-term existence. Sarah Palin thought she was adequately prepared to defend Israel because she had an Israeli flag on her desk. I don't mean to paint some vague stereotype that Republicans are stupid and Democrats are smart -that's not true at all. But the base of GOP support comes from people who aren't terribly concerned with learning a lot about the region. The reason conservatives support Israel vs. the reasons liberals do is entirely different, and the motives are important.
Right now Israel needs an honest friend who is willing to support it, but challenge it when it screws up. If you believe it's your Christian duty to support Israeli expansion, or think it can do no wrong because its supposedly the only democracy in the Middle East, then you're probably not going to do that.
I realize Democrats haven't always been stellar on this point as well, but at least there is a possibility. The J-Street Project is a great example of pragmatic, non-ideological bound people who are looking to challenge the status quo thinking on Mid-East policy. That's where the the positive news from this poll comes out. If Democrats were to remain the party of Israel, than the increased diversity in opinions could benefit them. If the GOP manages to take that mantle away however, I it would be harder be optimistic about real progress in the region.
By nearly three-to-one (55% to 20%), Republicans approve of the military action Israel has taken in the Gaza Strip. Independents, by a smaller margin (44% to29%), also approve of Israel’s actions. However, a plurality of Democrats(45%)
disapproves of Israel’s military campaign, while just 29% express a positive opinion...
Then there was this:
There has been a wide partisan gap in Mideast sympathies in recent years. Currently, 69% of Republicans say they sympathize more with Israel in the Middle East conflict, compared with 47% of independents and 42% of Democrats. Partisan differences in basic Mideast sympathies have been about that large since 2006. Nearly one-in-five Democrats (18%) and 10% of independents currently say they sympathize more with the Palestinians than Israel in their dispute; just 5% of Republicans say they sympathize more with the Palestinians.
This may seem pretty obvious to some, but I see it as containing both potentially worrying and positive information for Israel. The Jewish State's support has historically come from the Democratic Party, with the GOP only jumping on with the rise of the religious right. And while I don't think unwavering Democratic support for Israel has always been in its best interest, I think unwavering Republican support will be only worse. After all, at least the Democratic Party has American Jews who are aware that the settlements are a threat to Israel's long-term existence. Sarah Palin thought she was adequately prepared to defend Israel because she had an Israeli flag on her desk. I don't mean to paint some vague stereotype that Republicans are stupid and Democrats are smart -that's not true at all. But the base of GOP support comes from people who aren't terribly concerned with learning a lot about the region. The reason conservatives support Israel vs. the reasons liberals do is entirely different, and the motives are important.
Right now Israel needs an honest friend who is willing to support it, but challenge it when it screws up. If you believe it's your Christian duty to support Israeli expansion, or think it can do no wrong because its supposedly the only democracy in the Middle East, then you're probably not going to do that.
I realize Democrats haven't always been stellar on this point as well, but at least there is a possibility. The J-Street Project is a great example of pragmatic, non-ideological bound people who are looking to challenge the status quo thinking on Mid-East policy. That's where the the positive news from this poll comes out. If Democrats were to remain the party of Israel, than the increased diversity in opinions could benefit them. If the GOP manages to take that mantle away however, I it would be harder be optimistic about real progress in the region.
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