According to Pew Research Center findings released last week, nearly two-thirds of Americans hold an unfavorable view of Israel, including 60% of U.S. adults overall. That figure rises to 70% among adults ages 18-49.
Gary Bauer, president of pro-Israel American Values, can think of two possible reasons for this. First, he points out that college campuses are hotbeds of antisemitism.
"If we send our kids to four years of indoctrination that America and Israel are both bad, then we shouldn't be surprised when there's declining support for Israel," he submits.
Secondly, Bauer says Joe Biden's presidency brought in 15 million people from antisemitic countries.
"So, we brought in people to do the hating that Americans aren't willing to do," he summarizes.
Meanwhile, the world's obsession with Israel remains a mystery to him.
"In a world of billions and billions and billions of people, a little strip of land in the Middle East continues to be the target of virtually every power center in America and the world," Bauer notes.
The nation is constantly threatened with a second Holocaust, but they never ask the U.S. to fight their wars. Bauer wonders why so many people in American politics hate our most reliable ally.
As for these poll findings, he considers Pew's liberal bias, which he sees in its polling on other topics.
"Virtually every poll is showing President Trump with about a 40% approval rating," he relays. "The Rasmussen poll had him going up all week and hitting yesterday a 49% approval. Somebody's cooking the polls."
The survey, conducted March 23 to March 29 among 3,507 U.S. adults, found that the unfavorable views of Israel rose since last year and jumped by nearly 20 points since 2022.
Among those who harbor unfavorable views toward Israel, 28% described theirs as "very unfavorable," marking a nine percentage-point increase since last year and nearly three times the number who expressed such a view to Pew in 2022.
A majority of Jewish Americans (64%) and white evangelical Protestants (65%) continue to hold generally positive opinions of the country.
Only 4% of Muslims held a positive view.
