Almost 2/3 of American Jews oppose Trump’s Gaza displacement plan – survey

Most American Jews oppose a plan for the United States to take control of the Gaza Strip, as US President Donald Trump has proposed, according to a new survey.

The Voice of the Jewish People report, published Thursday by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), found that 59 percent of American Jews said they are against such a plan, while just 17% approve.

The findings reveal significant gaps between American Jews and those of Jews in Israel, presented in a separate JPPI report earlier this month. Israeli Jews tend to be more supportive of Trump and his proposals than their American counterparts, the new survey said.

Trump floated a proposal at the beginning of February that the US would “take over” Gaza and relocate its residents so the Strip can be razed to the ground and turned into a “Riviera of the Middle East.” While Netanyahu and other right-wing Israeli leaders have praised the proposal, it has been widely condemned and rejected in the region and beyond.

Only 20% of American Jews surveyed said they see Trump’s proposal as practical and worth promoting, compared to about 50% of Jews in Israel. Another 28% of American Jews said they don’t think the plan is practical, but that they would support it if it were.

About 29% of American Jews said the plan is immoral and unacceptable. By contrast, only 3% of Israeli Jews said the plan was immoral.

“The survey once again shows the gap in positions on various controversial political issues between the two largest Jewish communities in the world,” said JPPI Director General Shuki Friedman. “It illustrates the challenge for Israel and American Jewry to create strong ties and meaningful cooperation in the face of gaps in political views and values.”

A majority (57%) of American Jews said they believe the US is supporting Israel to the right extent. That was a dramatic change from just a month earlier, when 54% said the US did not support Israel enough, during a poll before the entrance of Trump into the White House.

It was the first time the report showed that both right-wing and centrist Jews in the US feel that the US is supporting Israel enough, JPPI noted. This is likely due to differences in Trump’s positions from those of his predecessor, Joe Biden.

When American Jews were asked about the fact that most Israelis support a solution to the conflict in Gaza that includes encouraging the transfer of Gaza residents to other countries, 69% indicated that they identified with or understood this perspective.

American survey participants, however, expressed low levels of confidence in Trump’s ability to properly handle issues related to the Jewish people.

Some 40% of respondents said they don’t trust Trump to fight antisemitism, while a third expressed high confidence in his ability to combat anti-Jewish hatred. Similar sentiments were reported regarding his capabilities in handling relations between the US and Israel.

Only 23% said they trust Trump to handle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict well, compared to 45% who have no confidence in him. Regarding the threat from Iran, 36% do not trust Trump, while 28% said they do.

When asked about other hot-button issues, 41% of respondents said they believe Jewish tradition obliges Jews to support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, while 21% said Judaism opposes DEI and 24% said it has nothing to teach regarding DEI.

Regarding immigration, 51% believe Jewish tradition teaches opposition to Trump’s immigration policies, while 16% say the Jewish tradition supports them. On the topic of Trump’s tariff policies, 59% say Jewish tradition has nothing to teach, while 21% say Jewish tradition supports opposition to them, the report said.