By Muhammad Shoaib
It has been over two and a half months since the start of the conflict in Gaza initiated by Israel on October 7, and more than 21 thousand people of Gaza Strip have been killed by Israel, yet the world is still preoccupied with the war and its repercussions.
International organizations and countries varied in their discourse and approach to dealing with this war based on their interests. As for societies and peoples, each country has responded to the war in its own way.
Demonstrations and social media posts have become the two most prominent means of expressing people’s reactions to what is happening in Gaza strip. These two means now serve as indicators of public opinion on the ongoing war. We have witnessed massive demonstrations in support of the Palestinians in some Islamic countries, and equally intense protests in some Western countries.
Since the United States is one of the most complex Western countries in its ethnic composition, it is not surprising to witness in it a pro-Palestinian speech, and another pro-Israel speech, but it was interesting to note that this war also revealed a noticeable increase in support for the Palestinians among segments of American society.
Since the United States is one of the most complex Western countries in its ethnic composition, it is not surprising to witness both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli speeches. However, it was interesting to note that this war also revealed a noticeable increase in sympathy or advocacy for the Palestinians among segments of American society.
Numerous polls have been conducted in the United States to explore public opinion trends in the ongoing war between Israelis and Palestinians. A YouGov poll conducted in late October revealed important things, including that people between the ages of 18 and 29 are more sympathetic to the Palestinians than the Israelis in the current conflict, meaning that most young people in the United States tend to support Palestinians. The poll also indicated that 28% of young people in this age group see themselves as supportive of the Palestinians, 20% of them support Israel, and 31% of them sympathize with both parties to the same extent.
If we want to explore the opinions of the US population in general, we can look at the poll conducted by the British magazine The Economist and YouGov in the period from November 25 to 27. This poll showed that 38% of Americans support the Israelis, and the percentage reached Support for the Palestinians is 11%, and 28% of participants said that their sympathy for both sides is equal, while 23% of voters said that they do not have a decisive opinion on the matter. A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center revealed that 35% of Americans believe that the Israeli government is responsible for the outbreak of the war between Hamas and Israel, while 65% of respondents believe that Hamas is most to blame for the outbreak of this war.
Why do young Americans support Palestine and older people support Israel?
In general, the results of the opinion poll, which we mentioned earlier, indicate that the majority of young Americans support the Palestinians, while the majority of older Americans support Israel. Several factors have contributed to the formulation of these opinions, and their divergence into two different directions in the outlook of young people and the elderly towards this war. The most prominent of these factors are:
First, Israel has a long historical balance of support in American society. Following the Second World War, and the atrocities it witnessed against the Jews in Europe, a strong feeling was formed among Western societies that the world owes the Jews an atonement for its sins towards them. For this reason, much of the popular propaganda at that time included sentiments against anti-Semitism and the view that Israel was the only refuge for Jews in the world. Seniors in the United States may not have witnessed the Holocaust themselves, but they were alive when its effects were revealed to the world, and this solidified their pro-Israel stance. Some of them also saw from afar some of the news of the Arab-Israeli wars at that time, and were imprinted on the perception that Israel worked hard to achieve peace with Palestine (and the Arabs) at that time, and they still see today’s events based on the same perception, and are hostile to the Palestinians on the basis of it.
On the other hand, young people in the United States grew up following the events of Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation, such as the Second Intifada at the beginning of the third millennium, and witnessed Israeli persecution measures, such as the siege of Gaza and the construction of the separation wall in the West Bank, and therefore these young people are better able to consider what is happening. Based on a more relevant perception of what is happening at the present time, and thinking about Israeli atrocities independently of the guilt complex associated with the Holocaust.
Second, it can be said that the growing sympathy for the plight of Palestinians among American youth is also influenced by the response to the racist events that have occurred in the United States in recent years, and the ease of linking these events to what Palestinians are exposed to at the hands of the Israelis. They see Israel as a repressive state, and that the issue is one of “an unjust government and an oppressed people.” Hence, there is a clear relationship between the position of American youth against the actions of police and state officials against black Americans (as is the case in the “Black Lives Matter” movement, for example), and the opposition of these same youth to Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people. This connection became clear when Palestinian Americans drew on their experience in confronting Israeli oppression and began posting tweets telling African Americans in the Black Lives Matter movement about the best ways to reduce the effects of tear gas fired at them by the American police. It became clear at that time that the American and the Palestinian were nothing but two victims united by falling under the oppression of two different countries.
Finally, the spread of social media among young people is one of the most important factors influencing the difference in opinions between American youth and adults regarding the Israeli war on the Palestinians. Young people are more exposed to social media, and many of them see it as their source of news, rather than traditional media such as television and newspapers. As for the elderly in the United States, they still prefer traditional media, receive news influenced by government policies and the tendencies of capital owners, and then think the way they want them to think. This naturally leads to older people being mostly supportive of Israel, while young people, due to their disengagement from traditional media, are mostly supportive of the Palestinians.
We mentioned that there is a growing awareness of the Palestinian issue among Americans, and a growing sympathy for the Palestinians, especially among American youth, but the question here is: Will this awareness and sympathy have a real impact on the policies of the American government? If we compare the percentage of Muslims and Jews among citizens in the United States, we see that the percentage of Muslims is about 1%, while the percentage of Jews is 2.4%. This difference alone is enough to cause a significant difference between them in terms of influence and influence on government policies, i.e. a difference that is in the interest of the Jews, of course. It is true that not all young people who support the Palestinians are Muslims, but this demographic difference is likely to be one of the most prominent factors that presidential candidates care about in determining their inclinations.
Despite the increase in support for the Palestinians among American youth, it is no secret that support for Israel is still higher than support for the Palestinians in general. The most important reason for this is the ongoing strategic and geopolitical partnership between the United States, Israel, and Jewish businessmen who are active in the American capital. Capital has unparalleled influence in the American political system. Therefore, American political institutions, including the American Presidency and the Senate, do not hesitate to declare their defense of the Jews and even the Zionist ideology, so as not to be deprived of support and funding. This support is reflected in the opinions of the public, especially since it is transmitted to them directly through media institutions and channels, which also receive support from the same parties. Therefore, it is not surprising that support for Israel is more widespread in the United States, where money is the only factor around which everyone rallies, not nationalism or ideology.
On the other hand, the United States formulated its security policies in the world after the events of September 11 on the basis of hostility to what is known as “radical Islam,” so it is very difficult for the Palestinian resistance factions – led by the Hamas movement with Islamic roots and ideology – to be able to mobilize their supporters. in America. Although Israel is an Eastern state and the Jews are an Eastern society, the structure of the Israeli state and its close relations with the West make it a secular state, and therefore a Western state (indeed, more like an Orientalist state!) in the Middle East.
For some reason, the West is not bothered by the deep contradiction involved in defining Israel as a secular state, even though it is a state whose politics are based on religious doctrines such as Zionism. Given the success of the American establishment in disseminating the views it espouses among the public and that the opinions of people outside the establishment are not reflected in government policies in any way, I rule out that the Palestinian issue will be a significant factor influencing the upcoming US presidential elections, although I nevertheless expect that we will see – Even in the speech at least – less severe stances in support of Israel.
masjid nahin hataya jaaye
“It has been over two and a half months since the start of the conflict in Gaza INITIATED BY ISRAEL on October 7,”
Really!?!