Just 23% of Americans say Israeli military actions in Gaza are fully justified, CNN poll finds
CNN
Americans are increasingly skeptical of Israeli actions in Gaza, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS that also finds rising sentiment that the US should pull back on military aid to Israel.
Americans are increasingly skeptical of Israeli actions in Gaza, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS that also finds rising sentiment that the US should pull back on military aid to Israel. Only 23% of Americans say Israel’s actions have been fully justified, a 27-point drop from a October 2023 poll taken shortly after Hamas’ October 7 attacks. Another 27% now say those actions have been partially justified and 22% say that they have not been justified at all. In October 2023, just 8% said Israel’s actions were not justified at all. This drop cuts across party lines but is far larger among Democrats and independents. Since 2023, the share of Democrats who say that Israel’s actions have been fully justified has dropped from 38% to just 7%, the share among independents from 45% to 14%, and the share among Republicans from 68% to 52%. Since this March, the share of Democrats and Democratic-leaning adults saying that the US provides too much military aid for Israel has risen from 44% to 59% while the share of Republican-aligned adults saying that has stayed steady at 24%. Democratic-aligned adults under the age of 35 are particularly opposed to US military aid to Israel, with 72% saying the US is doing too much, including 43% who say that the US should stop aid to Israel entirely and another 29% saying that it should reduce the amount of military aid. Younger adults across parties express the most skepticism towards Israel. Just 1 in 10 adults under 35 say that Israel’s military actions in Gaza have been fully justified while a third say that Israel’s actions have not been justified at all. Younger adults are also most likely to say that Israel has used too much military force (61%) and that the US is doing too much to help Israel in its war with Hamas (56%). People of color are similarly skeptical: 13% say that Israel’s actions in Gaza have been fully justified, compared to 29% saying they have not been justified at all. Nearly 6 in 10 people of color. (57%) say Israel has used too much military force.
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