Half of U.S. voters say the Jewish state is committing “genocide” in Gaza, according to a poll released on Wednesday, which at the same time shows that American sympathies are now divided between Israelis and Palestinians.
In the Quinnipiac University poll, 50% of registered voters said that Israel is committing genocide, while 35% disagreed. The remaining 15% had no opinion.
Voters were evenly divided when asked where their sympathies lie during the current conflict that erupted after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. In the poll, 37% said the Palestinians and 36% named Israelis. The other 27% had no opinion.
Some 60% of voters opposed sending more U.S. military aid to Israel, while 32% supported it—the lowest level of support and highest level of opposition in Quinnipiac polls since the war began nearly two years ago.
“Support for the Palestinians grows while the appetite for funding Israel militarily dips sharply,’’ stated Tim Malloy, a Quinnipiac University polling analyst. “A harsh assessment of the way Israel is prosecuting the Gaza campaign invokes a word of infamy.”
Support for Israel broke down along party lines, with 75% of Democrats backing the claims of “genocide” and the same percentage opposing more military aid. By contrast, 64% of Republicans opposed the claim of “genocide,” and 56% backed continued aid.
Independents said Israel was committing genocide 51% to 34%, and opposed more aid, 66% to 27%.
Some Democratic activists tried to get the Democratic National Committee on record as supporting an arms embargo on Israel and an independent Palestinian state this week, but a committee panel rejected the resolution on Tuesday.
After the resolutions committee called for more humanitarian aid to Gaza, a ceasefire, the release of all hostages captured by Hamas on Oct. 7 and efforts toward a two-state solution, party chair Ken Martin withdrew the measure to avoid further division.
