NEW ORLEANS –
With fighting resuming in the Gaza Strip, Americans are increasingly divided over who is to blame and what the United States should do about the war that has killed more than 1,300 Israelis and 16,000 Palestinians.
“Polls show that Americans have slightly more sympathy for Israel than for Palestine,” says Robert Collins, a professor of urban studies and public policy at Dillard University in New Orleans. “But the difference is not significant and there are many people who are undecided about the answer.”
A joint poll conducted by The Economist and YouGov from November 25 to 27 found that 38% of Americans sympathize with the Israelis and 11% with the Palestinians. 28% of respondents sympathize equally with both sides and 23% were unsure of the answer.
This hesitation, according to Collins, is explained by the complexity of the conflict.
“It is much more difficult to delve into wars abroad than it is to delve into domestic politics. Because of the fog of war, we are limited in the information we can obtain, and even a significant portion of it turns out to be false after a day or two,” he told Voice of America.
Although more than half of those surveyed did not support either side in the conflict, many of them had strong feelings.
“Of course I am on Israel’s side. said Indiana attorney Jeff Williams. “They allowed the Palestinians and Hamas to live peacefully in the house next door, but they came under attack in which (the Israelis) were raped and murdered. “Israel has the right to respond.”
Homeless people at home
The same confidence is shared by many who sympathize with the Palestinians.
“As a mother of a son who is part Palestinian, I feel a moral obligation to speak out on behalf of those in Gaza who are being killed, beaten, kidnapped and unjustly arrested by Israel simply for existing,” said Brooklyn Birdie, a graduate student at Louisiana. – How can so many Americans support those who create these horrors? That beats me”.
Rachel Lacombe runs an affordable housing nonprofit. She said that she regrets the death of Israeli civilians in the Hamas attack on October 7.
“But deep in my heart I sympathize with the Palestinian people, who have been stripped of their homes, displaced and forced to live in refugee camps on their own land for seven decades since the founding of Israel in 1948,” he told the VOA.
According to Lacombe, that point of view is difficult to express in the United States today.
“It is terrible to see hundreds of people accused of anti-Semitism, losing their jobs, being deceived, blacklisted just because they criticize Israeli policies,” he said. “I have to be careful what I say.”
The battle for Israel’s existence
“I think it’s biased to say that this conflict began in 1948, because Jews lived in this land that is now Israel for many thousands of years before that,” said Rebecca Urrutia, a Connecticut mother.
“I also pray for the innocent Palestinians, but above all I sympathize with Israel. They protect their land and their people and have been attacked many times in the past,” he added.
Perhaps one of the reasons Americans are more likely to side with Israel is the decades of geopolitical alliance between the United States and Israel. Another reason may be that there are more American Jews than American Muslims.
American Jews make up about 2.4% of the American population, according to the Steinhardt Institute for Social Research at Brandeis University. The Pew Research Center estimates that American Muslims make up just over 1% of the country’s population.
A poll by the Jewish Electorate Institute found that since the events of October 7, more American Jews feel an emotional connection to Israel.
“I think the Jewish community has been fractured since the Trump presidency, but the attacks on October 7 brought us together,” said Lisa Paycott, a synagogue cantor in Los Angeles. “Hundreds of thousands of us marched and demonstrated against anti-Semitism and for Israel.”
Although polls show that Americans are more likely to sympathize with Israel, a growing number of participants in a joint poll conducted by NPR, PBS, NewsHour and Marist believe Israel’s response has been “overblown.” If on October 11 26% of those surveyed thought this way, four weeks later the same figure was already 38%.
“On the one hand, it pains me to see how some Americans, including liberal activists and leaders whom I respected, now celebrate or even deny Jewish violence, rape, and death. This is ignorance and anti-Semitism,” said Los Angeles educator Sophie Teitelbaum.
On the other hand, Teitelbaum noted that she herself is critical of Israel’s government, leadership and military actions in the Gaza Strip.
“I understand the need to defend myself, but I also believe that Israel’s response was inhumane, unethical and wrong,” he told VOA. “It hurts on both sides.” Both parties have historic rights to this land. Both sides are afraid and deserve the chance to live in peace. But since I don’t choose either side, I run the risk of being ostracized by both sides.”
It’s a concern shared by Minnesota musician Joanna Miller.
“I have friends who are very passionate about one side and I have friends who are just as passionate about the other. “I don’t want to bother any of them,” she said. “But even silence can be a problem.” “I have Jewish friends on social media who compare those of us who don’t say anything to Nazis.”
Pressure on those who choose to remain silent comes from both sides of the debate, forcing some Americans to express opinions they might not want to express.
