Anti-Israel protests are much more popular on elite college campuses than with the American public in general. Two recent polls find that the American people are on opposite sides of the Biden administration concerning protests and Israel finishing off Hamas in Rafah.
A recent YouGov poll found that nearly half of U.S. adults oppose the protests seen on campuses such as Columbia, Harvard and other colleges across the United States. Twenty-eight percent support these pro-Palestinian efforts, with 24 percent undecided.
Another poll taken last week finds that Americans do not agree with the Biden administration pressuring Israel to stop plans to enter Raffah. A whopping 72% of voters say they back an Israel Defense Forces military operation in Rafah to “finish the war.” Just 28% said Israel should “back off now and allow Hamas to continue running Gaza.”
The polling firm studying the response to unrest on college campuses asked Americans to weigh in on how colleges have responded to the chaos and found that many are uncertain about where they stand on the matter. Although 31 percent of respondents said they are “unsure,” 20 percent called administrators’ responses appropriate, with 16 percent saying they have been “too harsh.”
Confusion and a refusal to offer a definitive stance isn’t entirely surprising considering the divergent ways schools have handled these situations, according to “Faithwire.” Although police were invited in to break up encampments at schools such as UCLA and Columbia, other institutions took a different approach.
Northwestern and Brown Universities reached deals with student protestors as tensions over Israel’s fight against Hamas in Gaza have reached boiling points on these campuses. Northwestern reportedly pledged to disclose school investments to students, will offer full scholarships for five Palestinian students and will support two Palestinian faculty members. There also was a promise to create a community house for Middle Eastern, North African and Muslim students. A temporary one will be established immediately, and a permanent one will be set up soon.
One of the pro-Palestinian protestors’ demands has been for schools to “divest” from Israel, or to sell or stop investments in businesses and companies with ties to Israel. Once again, many Americans are confused regarding where they stand. Although one-third said these calls to divest from companies with Israeli ties are “unjust and unfeasible,” 12 percent said they are just and feasible. Meanwhile, 35 percent are undecided.
The YouGov poll finds that the vast majority of Americans favor Israel in its war against Hamas. Americans favor b three-quarters support a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Eighty percent back Israel’s military response to the the Islamic terrorist group. Those expressing the greatest support are in older age groups, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris survey.
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
