27 percent of Democrats sympathize with Israel over the situation regarding the Palestinians vs. 79 percent of Republicans
excerpt from:
www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/shifting-sands-grassroots-group-in-democratic-party-distances-itself-from-israel/2018/05/22/
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that only 27 percent of Democrats sympathize with Israel over the situation regarding the Palestinians, compared to a whopping 79 percent of Republicans.
The dichotomy was on full display this week in reaction to the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and two days of consecutive violence in the Gaza Strip, which led to 62 Palestinian deaths and as many as 2,000 others wounded. A number of Democratic legislators blamed both the Trump administration and Israel for the violence.
The most critical among them was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is considered to be the de facto leader of the grassroots activist movement among elected liberals. Sanders, who is Jewish, was outspoken in his criticism of Israel’s actions, strongly condemning the actions of the Israel Defense Forces to the tens of thousands of rioters massed at the Gaza border with Israel.
I would like to suggest one of the factors that can explain the difference between Republicans and Democrats. At the same time I will admit there might be additional factors that I am not spelling out.
A Pew research poll, shows (U.S.A.) Republicans on average have a stronger belief in G-d than Democrats. Republicans on average observe religious services, participate in prayer, scripture study or religious education . Republicans on average believe Scripture is true, believe in absolute standards of right and wrong, and believe in heaven more than Democrats.
see:http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/party-affiliation/
In light of this I believe, Republicans tend to see the state of Israel as supporting their Biblical or spiritual belief system while more and more Democrats see Israel as an obstacle to their secular world view.
I stress that I am dealing in averages and there are exceptions on both sides.
Comment #2 by Shlomo Moshe Scheinman.
After writing the above, I came across a superior explanation that explains the current gap between Republican support for Israel and Democrat support for Israel.
In another Pew research poll at http://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/how-the-u-s-general-public-views-muslims-and-islam/
The issue was raised How the U.S. general public views Muslims and Islam Here is an excerpt:
Still, overall opinion on many questions about Muslims remains divided – and deeply fractured along partisan lines. Indeed, Americans – especially Republicans and those who lean toward the GOP – view Muslims far less positively than they view members of most other major religious groups. Half of U.S. adults say Islam is not part of mainstream American society. And the U.S. public is split over whether there is a “natural conflict” between Islam and democracy.
Views about the link between Islam and violence have fluctuated in the 15 years since Pew Research Center first asked about it. In March of 2002, just six months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 51% of Americans said Islam does not encourage violence more than other faiths, while 25% said it does.
Responses to this question have become substantially more divided along partisan lines. When it was first asked in 2002, just 11 points separated Republicans and Democrats. By December 2016, the partisan gap had grown to 44 points: 70% of Republicans say Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence, compared with 26% of Democrats who say the same.
Viewed in this light, current Republican support for Israel is similar to what they said in tractate MEGILAH page 16 ” They said this out of hate for Haman, not out of love for Mordechai”.
On the chance that some people were just confused about the facts about what is going on at Israel’s Gaza border in the spring of Jewish Year 5778 (2018 secular year), I will quote from Rabbi Prof. Dov Fischer at www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/22174
Stop. Think. (That puts you ahead of Bette Midler.) Ask: What exactly is going on at Israel’s Gaza border?
The answer: Arab Muslims who march like zombies to Hamas death-and-suicide commands have been gathering in the tens of thousands trying to break intos the Jewish country, to tear down Israel’s border fence, shouting “Death to Israel.”
Uh, what exactly is Israel supposed to do? Does it not make sense for Israel to shoot them? Really?
If you had thirty drunks with knives and hatchets trying to break down your front door and penetrate into your house, what would you do? Call John Kerry? Call Bette Midler? Natalie Portman? No, you would do one of three things:
1. Kill yourself.
2. Call the cops at 9-1-1.
3. Start shooting at the crowd till the cops arrive.The Israelis chose thing 2 and 3. They chose not to kill themselves. So they got their cops, and they started shooting.
What would Erdogan do if 40,000 Kurds tried to break into Turkey, announcing that they intend to kill everyone within reach and destroy Turkish sovereignty? What would Putin do if 40,000 people tried to break into the — well, come to think of it, no one ever tries to break into the Soviet Union or whatever nickname it goes by.
What would America do if 40,000 M13 gang members tried to break down the southern border and enter en masse?
You shoot them. You absolutely shoot them.
Look, if one or two people accidentally cross the border, so that’s a thing that happens. People make mistakes.Remember that Marine with the gun in his car who accidentally crossed into Mexico? And there was this time that our family were touring in southern New Mexico, and one of my daughters went strolling with another family member to check something out and inadvertently crossed the border into Mexico, which set off a classic comedy of errors because they did not have I.D. with them or whatever. And then they had to convince the Border Police that they were not Mexicans nor ISIS but schlemazels from New York.
But when all 40,000 of your daughters announce that they all are converging with knives and rocks and tires on fire and will destroy your country, violate its borders, tear down its wall — honestly, the only thing you do is you shoot them. I truly cannot understand what the issue is. You shoot them. Of course you shoot them. What country would not shoot them?
Germany would not shoot them? China would not shoot them? England never shot anyone Irish?
Comments by Shlomo Moshe Scheinman