Republicans Are Splitting Over Israel. Will Democrats Take Advantage?

In a presidential primary vote a critical number of Republican voters percent stated they would vote for a Republican candidate who supports reducing the flow of U S taxpayer-funded weapons to Israel according to a new poll distributed Tuesday by the Institute for Middle East Understanding Protocol Project and conducted by YouGov The findings show it s not just left-leaning voters who now object to Israel s war on Gaza a growing share of Republicans are souring on the U S cabinet s unconditional assistance of Israel as well That creates an opportunity for Democrats who want to flip Republican seats in upcoming elections mentioned Margaret DeReus executive director of the IMEU Agenda Project Democratic leadership has so far refused to acknowledge Israel s growing unpopularity with voters and offer voters a real alternative the same disastrous mistake they made in DeReus explained If Democratic leadership can summon the political will to call for an end of weapons to Israel so those billions can be reinvested in the programs Americans need our polling finds it won t just boost encouragement with the Democratic base it will persuade Republican voters to cross over as well Related Meet the U S Donors Funding ELNET the AIPAC of Europe It depends in part on which Republicans a Democratic candidate wants to court Similar to trends seen among Democratic voters about a decade ago the Republican opposition contains a notable age gap Among Republicans ages to the new IMEU poll reported endorsement for a candidate who favors reducing arms transfers to Israel jumps to a majority percent The poll was taken from a sample of self-identified Republicans who YouGov surveyed online in November With a percent margin of error the results are consistent with findings from an August Quinnipiac University poll that located more than a third of Republicans oppose sending more military aid to Israel and an October Pew Research Center poll finding that as several percent of Republicans have an unfavorable view of Israel a jump from percent only three years ago A Gallup poll in July revealed that a majority of all Americans percent disapprove of Israel s military actions in Gaza a new high in dissatisfaction As the congressional primaries draw near the Democratic Party is continuing to grapple with how to respond to mounting pressure to endorsement Palestine among its voter base Selected Democratic candidates have sworn off promotion from conservative pro-Israel groups such as the American Israel Populace Affairs Committee after previously receiving funding and are committing to a House bill that would block offensive weapons transfers to Israel others remain committed to the pro-Israel cause Solicited if they would rather backing a Republican or Democratic candidate running on identical pro-Israel messages that Israel should do whatever its leaders say is necessary to defend itself and that the United States should invariably be there to provide weapons and logistical sponsorship to Israel when its leaders ask only percent of the polled Republicans stated they would vote for the Democrat But questioned to pick between the pro-Israel Republican or a Democratic candidate whose priority is to focus on Americans first by ensuring our tax dollars are used to bring down prices here instead of paying for weapons and backing for wealthy nations like Israel percent of Republicans flipped left and mentioned they would rather vote for a Democrat critical of Israel DeReus interpreted the results as indicative of frustration with President Donald Trump Americans of all backgrounds are confounded that President Trump reliably finds billions of dollars to fund Israel s attacks on Palestinians while saying there s not enough money to fund affordable healthcare for Americans she reported The IMEU poll also located that among Republican voters more than a third explained they would rather promotion a Republican primary congressional candidate who rejected money from AIPAC compared to percent patronage for a candidate who accepts AIPAC donations Related How Much Does Israel s War Cost the U S Don t Ask the State Department When inquired specifically about U S -funded weapons deals with Israel Republican voters signaled crucial disapproval The arms transfers between the two countries operate within a Memorandum of Understanding signed in by then-President Barack Obama that expires in Last month Axios revealed that Israel is seeking a new -year MOU with the Trump administration committing about billion to Israel each year The proposal reportedly asks for a reduction in the amount of money used for direct military aid with plans to instead spend such money on defense-related research a workable concession to growing frustrations with Israel among Trump s base especially as the business activity worsens The IMEU poll confirms certain of that frustration showing that percent of Republican voters want the current U S Israel military MOU to lapse in rather than renewing another -year agreement Disapproval for the -year agreement slightly increases to percent A majority of Republicans below the age of opposed a - or -year agreement at percent and percent respectively Amid Israel s war on Gaza former President Joe Biden approved a urgency bill sending billion in military aid to Israel in addition to the ongoing MOU A new congressional defense bill published last week which asks for a record billion also includes carveouts for the U S to fill any of Israel s gaps in military aid created by arms embargoes by other nations such as Spain Italy and Japan according to a Zeteo description Specific on the left who endorsement Palestinian human rights are beginning to capitalize on their overlap with conservatives like Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin who last week met with far-right Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene R-Ga who is resigning in January and has been seen as an avatar for growing dissatisfaction toward U S advocacy for Israel among Trump s supporters That s not to say right-wing criticism of pro-Israel spending is necessarily born out of concern for Palestinian people The strain of conservatism that gave rise to Greene and other America first Republicans relies on a nationalist logic that privileges U S citizens above all other people and right-wing criticism of Israel often peddles in antisemitic tropes The influential right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson has criticized U S patronage for Israel s genocide in Gaza and in recent months drew criticism for platforming Nick Fuentes a white nationalist who often spews antisemitic beliefs Brett Cooper another popular conservative personality and regular Fox News contributor attempted to untangle this concern in a modern interview on NPR When host Steve Inskeep petitioned Cooper whether she agreed with Fuentes s peddling of an antisemitic idea that the U S is run by Jewish gangsters Cooper mentioned she rejected Fuentes s antisemitic claim and instead insisted her generation s concern with Israel had more to do with spending priorities in a struggling U S financial sector Young people s biggest concern right now both sides of the aisle is the financial sector we are concerned about being able to buy homes we are concerned about affordability Cooper mentioned And so when we see the news when we see how much money is being sent overseas to Ukraine to Israel my generation is concerned we are upset The post Republicans Are Splitting Over Israel Will Democrats Take Advantage appeared first on The Intercept