A majority of American Jews sharply disapprove of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war, with 61% saying the country has committed war crimes and nearly four in 10 accusing it of genocide, pointing to an historic rift, according to a new Washington Post poll.
Still, respondents overwhelmingly blamed Hamas for the war, with 94% saying the group committed war crimes against Israelis, The Post reported Saturday.
The survey, conducted Sept. 2-9 among 815 Jewish Americans, showed deep discontent over Israel’s leadership, with 68% giving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu negative marks and 48% calling his leadership “poor,” up 20 points since a 2019 survey.
Jewish opinion on Israel’s military actions is closely divided, with 46% approving and 48% opposing, according to the poll. That represents higher support than among the general U.S. population, where 32% approved and 60% disapproved in a July Gallup poll.
Many people interviewed by The Post after the survey said they initially supported Israel’s military response to Hamas, given the brutality of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and the need for a strong response. However, as the war has continued, American Jews have changed their minds on Israel’s reaction.
“Initially, Israel in a sense had no choice,” said Julia Seidman, 42, a writer from Issaquah, Washington. “You can’t let your national security be threatened that way. But in no way does that justify what is happening now, two years later. The amount of human suffering that we are seeing now … I’m just disgusted.”
The poll also showed sharp divides on the question of genocide. Thirty-nine percent of Jewish Americans said Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the United Nations’ definition of genocide, while 51% said no and 10% had no opinion. Among Jews ages 18-34, half agreed Israel is committing genocide, compared with about one-third of older groups.
Generational gaps extended to overall attachment to Israel: 56% of Jews said they felt emotionally connected to the country, but that number dropped to 36% among the youngest adults and rose to 68% among those over 65.
Political divides were also pronounced. More than eight in 10 Jewish Republicans supported Israel’s actions in Gaza, compared with about half of independents and just three in 10 Democrats.
By gender, 56% of men approved of Israel’s conduct, while 55% of women disapproved. Education was another dividing line: 54% of Jews with some college education or less backed Israel’s actions, compared with 47% of college graduates and 36% of those with postgraduate degrees.
On responsibility for the war’s continuation, 91% of Jewish Americans blamed Hamas, 86% Netanyahu, 80% Israel overall, and 61% the United States. A majority — 59% — said Israel is not doing enough to allow food into Gaza, while 30% said it is doing enough.
Despite the bleak assessment, 59% of Jewish Americans said they believe Israelis and Palestinians can ultimately coexist peacefully in two states.
Six in 10 said they support continued U.S. military aid to Israel, though nearly a third said the U.S. is too supportive — up 10 points from 2020 and 21 points since 2013.
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