Survey: A Quarter of U.S. Jews Agree That Israel "Is an Apartheid State"

A survey of American Jewish voters taken after the Israel-Gaza conflict finds that a sizable minority believe some of the harshest criticisms of Israel, including that it is committing genocide and apartheid.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (July 13, 2021) reports: “Among respondents to the survey commissioned by the Jewish Electorate Institute, a group led by prominent Jewish Democrats, 34 percent agreed that ‘Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is similar to racism in the United States’. 25 percent agreed that ‘Israel is an apartheid state” and 22 percent agreed that ‘Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians.’”

Among younger voters included in the survey, agreement with those statements was higher. The poll found that 9 per cent of voters agreed with the statement, “Israel doesn’t have a right to exist.” But among voters under 40, that proportion was 20 percent. A third of younger voters agreed that Israel is committing genocide, “a position that even human rights lawyers who are critical of Israel say is extreme.” More than a third agreed that Israel is an apartheid state.

According to JTA, “The findings are striking as mainstream pro-Israel organizations struggle to make the case that Israel is central to Jewish identity and that criticism of it often veers into anti-Semitism. They suggest that many American Jews agree with statements by some of Israel’s harshest critics…Asked if they felt emotionally attached to Israel, 62 percent of respondents said they did and 38 per cent said they did not.”

Asked about the two-state solution, 61 percent said it was their preferred outcome. But 19 per cent said they preferred annexation of the West Bank that would deny Palestinians the right to vote in national elections, while 20 per cent said they preferred “establishing one state that is neither Jewish nor Palestinian” and encompassing Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. A substantial majority of respondents, 71 per cent, said it was “important” to provide financial assistance to Israel, a smaller majority, 58 percent, said it would be appropriate to restrict aid to Israel so it could not use U.S. money on settlements. A majority, 62 percent, support President Biden’s reversal of Donald Trump’s policy of cutting aid to the Palestinians. **