From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
New poll of US voters finds overwhelming support for Israel over Hamas in ongoing war
A new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll published this week of over 2,300 registered US voters found overwhelming support for Israel over Hamas in the ongoing war, triggered by the terror group’s October 7 murderous rampage.
In the poll, 83% of respondents said October 7 was a terror attack, while 17% said it was not. Broken down by age group, 94% of respondents aged over 65 said the attack — in which 1,200 people killed and 253 taken hostage — was terrorism, while 74% of those aged 18-24 said the same.
In addition, 74% of respondents said Hamas’s attack was genocidal and 75% of all respondents said the assault could not be justified by Palestinian grievances. These answers varied widely by age group. Some 54% of respondents aged 18-24 said the attacks were not justified, compared to 78% among participants aged 45-54, 87% of those aged 54-65, and 92% of those aged over 65.
Eighty percent of all respondents also said they support Israel more over Hamas, including 57% among those aged 18-24, about 70% for those aged 25-44, 80% of 45-54 year olds, 90% of those 54-65, and 93% of those over 65.
Most respondents, 69%, said Israel was trying to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, and 66% said Israel was just trying to defend itself. Some 34% said they believe Israel was “committing genocide” in Gaza and not acting in self-defense.
Some 74% also said Hamas would like to commit genocide against Jews in Israel.
Overall, 67% of respondents said a ceasefire should only happen if the hostages are released and Hamas is removed from power in Gaza.
The poll was conducted among 2,346 registered US voters on January 17 and 18. The margin of error was not immediately available.
The Times of Israel Community.