Americans want to send more financial and military aid to Israel in the wake of the devastating Hamas attack but oppose the idea of deploying U.S. troops to fight alongside Israeli forces, according to a AlertContent.com poll.
Republican voters turn out to be the most supportive of putting American boots on the ground, with 46 percent in favor and 36 opposed.
The result shows how the horrifying attack by Hamas has galvanized support for Israel, and at the same time provides an exception to Republicans’ increasingly isolationist foreign policy.
The poll was conducted by J.L. Partners in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Some 1,000 people were asked for their views.
Overall, majorities (55 percent) said they wanted the U.S. to provide more financial and military aid to Israel. Some 27 percent and 28 percent were opposed, respectively.
A majority of Americans supports sending more financial and military aid, but opposes sending U.S. troops to fight alongside Israeli forces after the Hamas terrorist attack
Israeli army Puma armored personnel carriers (APCs) move in a column near the Gaza border in southern Israel. Israel is preparing for a major military operation to snuff out Hamas
The number in favor dropped to 32 percent when it came to putting American boots on the ground, except among Republicans among whom more supported the idea than opposed it.
‘One remnant of the old Republican order still stands in the modern GOP: military support for Israel,’ said James Johnson, co-founder of polling firm J.L. Partners.
‘Republican voters are supportive of US troops heading to the region and Americans continue to take a highly hostile view of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.
‘Even Democrats in a recent focus group we conducted with Breaking Points supported US troops helping Israeli troops defend current Israeli borders.’
But that could change, he added.
‘Be on the look out for one thing: the role of Donald Trump,’ Johnson said.
‘History shows that if he marks out a view, much of the Republican base is sure to follow. If he were to vocally oppose any deployment of troops, expect the polls to shift.’
Trump pushed hard to bring home troops on overseas deployments and was keen to end the war in Afghanistan. Since then he has lambasted President Joe Biden for deepening U,S. engagement in the war in Ukraine.
Then came a fresh Middle East crisis, and the risk of major conflagration as Iran jockeys for power and influence.
Republicans are far more likely to support deploying boots on the ground in Israel
Israel has kept up an intense bombardment of Gaza ever since the unprecedented attack by Hamas terrorists that killed more than 1,200 people
President Joe Biden is greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrived on Israeli soil last week. He spent seven hours in Tel Aviv in a show of support
In the past three weeks Biden has offered full-throated support for Israel, ever since 1400 people were killed in a terrorist attack almost three weeks ago.
He has strengthened U.S. force deployments — dispatching two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups to the region — and last week he made the case for offering financial aid.
‘History has taught us that when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction. They keep going,’ he said in a rare address from the Oval Office.
‘And the cost and the threat to America in the world keep rising.’
The Pentagon has also sent senior officers to Israel in advisory roles.
Israel is preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza, from where the Hamas terrorists launched their attack.
Its forces have put the small Palestinian territory under virtual siege, choking off supplies of food, fuel, water and medicine apart from a small number of aid trucks entering from Egypt.
JL Partners polled 1000 Americans on attitudes towards Israel and Hamas. They backed a ground invasion and occupation of Gaza by a margin of two to one
Among all survey respondents, 39 percent said the U.S. should prioritize giving funding to Israel and Ukraine equally, which is what President Joe Biden pitched in an Oval Office address Thursday night
President Joe Biden addressed the American people last week and urged lawmakers to pass a spending package that included funds for both Ukraine and Israel
At the same time it has kept up an aerial bombardment.
That response is broadly backed by the American public, according to the AlertContent.com poll.
Some 50 percent believe it is reasonable for the Israeli Defense Forces to fully invade and occupy the territory, compared with 28 percent who said it would be unreasonable.
There is also overwhelming support for air strikes on Hamas targets.
The only groups who said a ground invasion and occupation were unreasonable were people aged 18-29 (27 percent said it was reasonable; 49 percent unreasonable) and Democrats (38 percent to 39 percent).
Americans also narrowly support a blockade of electricity, food, water and fuel. Some 45 percent said it was reasonable, and 36 percent said it was not.
A breakdown of President Joe Biden ‘s request to Congress for a $100billion spending package shows more than half will go to support Ukraine while just $14billion has been set aside for US border security
At the same time, Biden must navigate a divide among voters, and in Congress, on how to allocate aid between Israel and the war in Ukraine.
Poll results found that Republican voters massively favor sending aid to Israel over Ukraine compared to their Democratic counterparts.
Some 40 percent of Republicans believe funding for Israel should be prioritized over Ukraine, while just 4 percent of Democrats hold that same view.
The bulk of Democrats, 53 percent, believe the U.S. should support the two crisis-hit allies equally. About a third of Republicans, 32 percent, share this view.
Just three percent of Republicans believe Ukraine should be prioritized, as members of the GOP – both on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail – have become more critical of U.S. dollars going to the war effort against Russia.
About a quarter of Democrats, 22 percent, say Ukraine should be the priority.