Gallup on US sympathies in ME
Sympathies in the Middle East Situation
Historically, Americans have been very sympathetic to Israel in the
Middle East, and have given Israel high favorable ratings.
Gallup’s basic “sympathies” question is worded as follows: “In the
Middle East situation, are your sympathies more with the Israelis or
more with the Palestinians?” The most recent measure on this
question, from the Feb. 6-9 poll, finds that 59% of Americans
sympathize more with Israel, while 15% side more with the
Palestinians, and the remaining 26% do not take either side or do not
have an opinion.
The latest figures represent one of the most lopsided margins in
favor of the Israelis ever recorded by Gallup. The only other times
sympathy has been this high were during the first Persian Gulf War in
February 1991, (when Iraq was launching Scud missiles into Israeli
territory) and shortly before the start of the second war with Iraq,
in February 2003, (58%). In 2004 and 2005, sympathy toward the
Palestinians, though still low, was as high as it has been
historically (18%).