Israel becoming an increasingly more partisan issue in US, poll finds

A new poll conducted by Bloomberg news finds that a partisan shift may represent a watershed moment for American and Israeli relations.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Israel and US flags (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Israel and US flags
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
A new poll conducted by Bloomberg news finds that Americans are becoming more partisan on issues pertaining to Israel after decades of general bipartisan agreement on matters concerning the Jewish State.
The poll suggests that the American-Israel dynamic is shifting considerably from previous decades, and that it may represent a watershed moment that may have implications on US policy, both foreign and domestic concerning Israel.
The study saw that Republicans, by a ratio of more than 2-to-1, thought the US should stand behind Israel even if its positions diverge considerably from American interests. Conversely, those who identified as Democrats said the opposite was true at roughly the same ratio and that American interests override those of Israel.
The Bloomberg Politics poll also found that Republicans had more sympathetic feelings towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over US President Barack Obama at 67 percent to 16. Democrats, on the other hand, felt more allegiance towards the US commander-and-chief at a 76 percent to  nine percent advantage.
The poll also investigated partisan sentiments on the hotly contested issue of the Iranian nuclear negotiations and their feelings about the tentative framework agreement struck between Tehran and world powers.
Democrats, by a nearly 3-to-1 ratio, said they were more optimistic than pessimistic that a tentative deal with Iran announced this month will contain Iran's ability to get nuclear weapons and thus make the world safer.
By a 2-to-1 margin, Republicans were more pessimistic than optimistic about the impacts of a deal. Majorities of Americans in both parties say any deal Obama makes with Iran should be subject to congressional approval, and that Iran is an unreliable negotiating partner because it is a religious theocracy, according to Bloomberg.