The Hudson Institute, a politically conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday released a public opinion survey showing that a small majority of Americans favor a close relationship with Israel. They also and believe the BDS movement is anti-Semitic.
The polling sample consisted of 1,000 likely 2020 general election voters.
Of those surveyed, 51% held a favorable opinion of Israel; only 21% held an unfavorable opinion. 75% percent agreed that it is in the US’ best interest to keep Israel as its closest ally in the Middle East.
Just under 60% agreed anti-Semitism is happening more frequently today than 15 years ago. 37% blamed Muslim extremists for the rising tide of Jew hatred; 28% blamed rightwing extremists; 22% blamed leftwing extremists.
Most Republicans blamed the Muslims, most Democrats suggested it was the fault of white power, alt.right and Nazis.
Pollster John McLaughlin introduced the survey’s findings at a conference of pollsters, investigators, and experts who spent a day discussing the rising wave of anti-Semitism in the West. Guests included the keynote speaker Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, director of the American Jewish Committee in Europe; Elan S. Carr, the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat Anti-Semitism; Mitchell Silber, the former Director of Intelligence Analysis at NYPD; and Marc Weitzmann, author of the new book, Hate: The Rising Tide of Anti-Semitism in France (and What It Means for Us.
