Poll: Majority of US voters, 81% of young people, approve of Biden’s handing of Gaza violence

A majority of registered voters in the US approve of US President Joe Biden’s handling of the recent violence between Israel and Hamas, a new poll finds.

The Hill-HarrisX poll was conducted on May 14-15, five days before a ceasefire was reached.

Fifty-six percent of registered voters indicated they approve of Biden’s handling of the recent violence, while 44% say they disapprove.

The numbers changed drastically based on age group: 50% of 50-64 year-olds approved of Biden’s handling of the Gaza violence; 56% of 35-49 year-olds approve; and 81% of 18-34 year-olds approve.

Roughly eight in 10 Democratic voters approve of Biden’s handling, along with 69 percent of independents. Seventy-seven percent of Republicans say they disapprove of Biden’s handling of the issue.

The Hill-HarrisX poll was conducted online among 932 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.

Since the beginning of Operation Guardian of the Walls, the Biden administration took a firm stance in favor of Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas rocket fire. That position held throughout the entire 11-day conflict, but about mid-way through the US picked up its efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire after giving Israel several days to target Hamas infrastructure.