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EspañolFor the first time, members of the donkey party are extremely divided in their support for Israel, the historic ally of the United States.
Many Democrats have turned away from supporting Israel, opting instead to support Palestine in historically high numbers.
According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, Democrats are almost as likely to say they sympathize with the Palestinians as with Israel. Thirty-one percent said they support the Islamic-majority state, while 33 percent said they support Israel.
Dems now about as likely to say they sympathize more with Palestinians (31%) as Israel (33%). Reps remain much more sympathetic to Israel pic.twitter.com/qySd6fAhYG
— Alec Tyson (@alec_h_tyson) January 12, 2017
This is far from normal. The tendency to support the Palestinians has only increased over the last months. In April 2016, Democrats who sympathized with Israel accounted for 43 percent, but those who support Palestine have not changed much since last April (when their support came in at 29 percent).
In July 2014, only 17 percent of Democrats sympathized with Palestine. In 2001, 21 percent supported Palestine, compared to 38 percent for Israel.
As for the Republican Party, the results are a strong contrast. By 2017, 74 percent of Republicans said they would protect Israel in the event of a major conflict. Only 11 percent are in favor of Palestine.
This trend has also seen a steady increase since 2001. At the beginning of the 21st century, only 50 percent of Republicans sympathized with Israel, while 15 percent supported Palestine.
There is now a gap of 41 points between how US liberals and conservatives view Israel — the widest gap that has ever been recorded in history.
Israel, the democratic nation that has historically been an important ally to the United States in the Middle East, and who has enjoyed bipartisan support of Congress, now must confront growing rejection by a Democratic Party increasingly inclined toward Palestine.
Source: Pew
