A majority of Americans back the creation of an independent state of Palestine for the first time in eight years, despite sympathizing more with Israelis than Palestinians in the long-running Mideast conflict, a new Gallup poll revealed on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd April, 2020) A majority of Americans back the creation of an independent state of Palestine for the first time in eight years, despite sympathizing more with Israelis than Palestinians in the long-running Mideast conflict, a new Gallup poll revealed on Wednesday.
"[Fifty-five percent] of Americans support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, while 34 percent are opposed and 10 percent are unsure. This reading, conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic that has tested Palestinian and Israeli cooperation in various ways, represents the first time in eight years that the majority of Americans have favored Palestinian statehood," a press release explaining the poll said.
Support for statehood increased among certain demographic groups that had previously shown among the least support for a Palestinian state: older Americans, whites, adults with some college, conservatives and moderates," the release said.
When it comes to support for Israel, Americans by 60 percent to 23 percent continue to sympathize more with the Israelis than the Palestinians in the middle East.
While not a statistically significant change from last year's 21 percent, the 23 percent favoring the Palestinians today is the highest recorded in Gallup's World Affairs survey trends since 2001, the release said.
Meanwhile, Israel's favorable rating was near its historical high in Gallup trends, with 30 percent holding a very favorable view of the country, a point shy of the record 31 percent recorded in 2018, the release added.
