Generation gap: What student protests say about US politics, Israel support
Al Jazeera
Experts say growing protest movement on university campuses could help shift US policy on Israel in the long term.
Washington, DC – A Gaza-focused campus protest movement in the United States has highlighted a generational divide on Israel, experts say, with young people’s willingness to challenge politicians and college administrators on display nationwide.
The opinion gap — with younger Americans generally more supportive of Palestinians than the generations that came before them — poses a risk to 81-year-old Democratic President Joe Biden’s re-election chances, they argue.
It could also threaten the bipartisan backing that Israel enjoys in Washington.
“We’re already seeing evidence of a generation divide on Israel, and that is going to be a long-term issue for the Democratic Party,” said Omar Wasow, assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley.
“These protests accelerate that generation gap,” Wasow told Al Jazeera.
