Support for a Palestinian state alongside Israel is at its lowest point in two decades.
Thirty-nine percent of Americans support a two-state solution, compared to 36 percent who are in opposition, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. As many as 58 percent of Americans supported the idea in 2003.
In 1998, just 36 percent favored a two-state solution, an issue that is back at the forefront of news following Israel’s recent elections and ongoing nuclear talks with Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won re-election this month, though the evening before Election Day, he commented that as long as his Likud Party was in power, there would not be a Palestinian state.
The White House condemned the comments — the U.S. has long supported establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel in the Middle East — and after winning the election, Netanyahu refuted the statement.
A survey from the Pew Research Center released Monday shows Americans’ views toward Israel and the Palestinians have changed very little since last August.
About a third (31 percent) of Americans say they sympathize with Israel a lot in its dispute with the Palestinians, compared to 34 percent who say they sympathize some. Just 11 percent sympathize with the Palestinians, though 35 percent say they have some sympathy for them.
A sizable portion — 38 percent — say they have at least some sympathy with both Israel and the Palestinians, compared to just 20 percent who have low sympathy levels for both sides.
