A new poll revealed that more Democrats blame Israel than Hamas, a terrorist organization, for the recent outbreak of violence in Gaza.
“Big partisan divide on fighting in #Gaza according to new @trafalgar_group @COSProject national #poll,” wrote Trafalgar Group chief pollster Robert C. Cahaly on Twitter. “@GOP & Independents blame #Hamas, @Palestine_UN, & #Iran; @TheDemocrats blame @Israel.”
https://twitter.com/RobertCahaly/status/1394962576279277576
While 27.4% of all voters surveyed believe Israel is responsible for the recent violence in Gaza, that number jumps to 38.5% of Democrats surveyed. Meanwhile, only 15.5% of Democrats blame Hamas. Another 5.7% of Democrats blame the Palestinian Authority for the violent outbreak.
Both the United States and the European Union classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department classifies Israel as a U.S. ally, saying the country “is a great partner to the United States, and Israel has no greater friend than the United States.”
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The numbers reveal a large partisan divide in assigning blame, with more Republican respondents, at 42.5%, placing the blame on Hamas, compared to 12.5% who blame Israel. Independents sided narrowly with Republicans on the issue, with a total of 35.6% blaming either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority for the violence, compared to 31.2% who blame Israel.
A total of 9.8% of voters placed the blame on Iran, while another 26.6% were unsure who they assigned blame to.
The conflict in Gaza has also revealed a divide between Democratic lawmakers in Washington, with tensions flaring between the younger, activist wing of the party, who view the violence as a racial justice issue similar to those in the U.S.
“Do Palestinians have a right to survive?” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in response to President Joe Biden saying that Israel had a right to defend itself. “Do we believe that? And if so, we have a responsibility to that as well.”
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James Zogby, the founder of the Arab American Institute, believes the divide between the base and traditional wing of the party may grow even wider.
“The base of the party is moving in a very different direction than where the party establishment is,” Zogby said. “If you support Black Lives Matter, it was not a difficult leap to saying Palestinian lives matter, too.”
