Since 2001, the share of Republicans sympathizing more with Israel than the Palestinians has increased 29 percentage points, from 50% to 79%. Over the same period, the share of Democrats saying this has declined 11 points, from 38% to 27%.Hayward implicitly is asking how Jews can side with folks who don’t much like Israel, though he doesn’t actually write those words. I believe he shares the delusion that most American Jews approve of today’s Israel; I suspect they do not.
My guess: many American Jews are embarrassed by the actions Israel takes to defend itself, and emphathize with the Palestinians. They’d almost have to hold that view to vote Democrat, something it is clear most do every two years.
Israel’s real defenders in the U.S. are evangelical Christians like VP Pence, for a variety of doctrinal reasons, and foreign policy hawks. The latter approve of Israel’s rapid, deadly responses to threats to its safety and see it as the only modern nation in a backward, corrupt region.
