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Americans' Shifting Views on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

(Middle East Quarterly) Eytan Gilboa - The Palestinians are waging a sustained propaganda battle to win over Western hearts and minds, especially in the U.S. Turning Israel's struggle for survival upside down, the fake Palestinian narrative of unblemished victimhood has made inroads into American public opinion. Yet, examination of American attitudes toward the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over the past two decades reveals stable and highly favorable feelings toward Israel, and unfavorable, if somewhat improving, attitudes toward the Palestinians. Over the past two decades, Israel's favorability rating in surveys has risen from 62% in 2000 to 74% in 2020. By contrast, favorable opinions of the Palestinian Authority were 21% in 2000 and 23% in 2020. More than any other single factor, it is the intensity of Palestinian violence and intransigence that has determined the way Palestinians and the PA were seen by Americans. The writer is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Communication at Bar-Ilan University and a senior research associate at the BESA Center for Strategic Studies.
2021-09-09 00:00:00
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