Polls show Americans agree with Biden on US foreign policy toward Israel

President Joe Biden, upon returning from his trip to Israel, will appeal to Americans to continue helping his partner in the war against the radical Islamic group Hamas in a speech this Thursday night (19).

There are divisions within his own party over the United States’ handling of the conflict. Although some of his Democratic colleagues in Congress do not agree with the president, the majority of voters and supporters generally agree with the approach.

It is one of his points of greatest appeal among the electorate. The same can be said of his policy regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine, which will also be addressed in the speech.

In the survey released by Quinnipiac University on Tuesday (17), only 13% of those consulted responded that their support lies more with the Palestinians than with the Israelis, based on what they know about the Middle East.

Already 61% said they support Israel, the highest level of support for the country since Quinnipiac began asking this question in 2001. It increased considerably from 41% in 2021, when Quinnipiac last asked the question to voters when Israel was in armed conflict with Hamas.

A Fox News poll conducted shortly after Hamas’ attack on Israel on Saturday (7) also showed that voters’ sympathy for Israel has increased since 2021.

Notably, much of the change in opinion is driven by Democrats. The party’s support for Israel, compared to the Palestinians, had been declining for more than a decade.

US role

When it comes to the United States’ role as Israel’s strong ally in the confrontation, more than half of the Democrats surveyed by Quinnipiac appear to be more likely to side with Joe Biden. Although 28% of Democratic voters believe that America has over-supported Israel, 60% believe that support is correct.

The majority of voters (52%) agreed that the US government is right on this issue. The rest are evenly split between saying there is too much support (20%) or not enough (20%).

This is one of Biden’s most popular agendas. More voters surveyed by Quinnipiac approve of Biden’s response to the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel (42%) and his policy toward Israel in general (42%) than disapprove (37% and 39%, respectively).

These approval ratings of +5 percentage points and +3 percentage points are significantly higher than his overall approval rating.

Another issue where Biden does relatively well is US support for Ukraine after Russia invaded the country. The Quinnipiac poll shows that 47% of voters approve of Biden’s response to the invasion, while 45% disapprove.

See also: Biden says Hamas makes the Islamic State seem rational

As with Israel (76%), most voters agree with Biden that supporting Ukraine (65%) is in the country’s national interest.

This may be one of the reasons Biden felt comfortable with the U.S. supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles in recent days, according to several U.S. officials. These missiles will allow Ukraine to strike Russian targets that were previously out of reach.

The positive poll for Biden on Ukraine hides, however, some divisions. While Democrats are more likely to say supporting Ukraine is in America’s national interest (87%) than they are in favor of Israel (76%), Republicans are the opposite (84% on Israel and 49% on Ukraine).

Republican skepticism about supporting Ukraine aligns with other election issues. A clear majority of Republicans (61%) say there has been excessive aid to Ukrainians, an increase from 7% at the start of the country’s war with Russia.

Still, it would be a mistake to say that it is only Republicans who are causing the president an electoral headache. Even though Americans support Ukraine, the appetite for Congress to approve more aid to the country in its war efforts is weak.

A CNN/SSRS poll in August found that 55% of voters overall opposed her, including 71% of Republicans. Many Republicans in the U.S. House have been hesitant to provide more funding to Ukraine.

It’s unclear whether Biden will be able to do anything. He will have an easier time with Israel, where a majority of Democrats (59%), independents (61%) and Republicans (79%) approve of the US providing weapons and military equipment to the country.

Finally, Biden chose topics on which he is well accepted to speak this Thursday. He’s more comfortable talking about these issues than anything else.

Source: CNN Brasil

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