Do people alter facts at will to align with their agenda or perspective?
This phenomenon appears more prevalent than expected, as evidenced by the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll.
This poll, which asked about American voters’ perceptions of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, indicated that the majority (84%) of Americans supported Israel’s struggle against Hamas. However, a closer look at the poll data, particularly when broken down by age, shows a significant and striking lack of factual understanding among young adults aged 18 to 24 in the United States.
Here are five misconceptions held by these young adults that the survey revealed and the necessary information to set the record straight.
Five misconceptions young Americans believe about Israel, and the real facts behind them
No. 1: One-third (32%) of young adults 18-24 do not believe Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israeli civilians by shooting, stabbing, and beheading people.
Fact: Hamas launched an incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023, with the explicit intention of causing maximum harm to Israeli civilians through brutal and barbaric means. This week, the Israeli government and the Israel Defense Forces shared unfiltered audio and video footage captured from body cameras and phones of Hamas terrorists as they carried out ruthless attacks on communities along Israel’s border with Gaza. Reporters who viewed these clips described the contents as containing highly graphic images, including the murder of children, burning of bodies, deliberate targeting of civilians, and various other horrifying atrocities.
In an interview with CBC News shortly after witnessing these materials, Atlantic reporter Graeme Wood conveyed that Hamas’s actions demonstrated a disturbing, sadistic nature. He said the footage showed scenes of blood-covered children who had been blinded and orphaned. In one harrowing moment, a Hamas terrorist called his family, expressing his enthusiasm as he claimed, “Put on Mom. I am a hero. I killed 10 Jews.”
In addition, the Prime Minister’s Office released verified images on October 12, showing the shocking and disturbing evidence of burnt and beheaded infants. Furthermore, first responders from ZAKA, who were tasked with recovering murdered individuals from the affected towns in southern Israel, have provided testimonies about the horrors they encountered.
During a media tour of Kibbutz Be’eri this week, Yossi Landau, head of operations for ZAKA in southern Israel, recounted an experience of entering one of the homes two days after the massacre, where they found a lifeless woman lying face down. When they attempted to move her for proper handling, they made the gruesome discovery that she had been pregnant. A terrorist had mercilessly sliced open her belly, removed and murdered the baby, and then shot the woman to death.
The consistency of these testimonies and the shocking photographic evidence leave no room for doubt. Israel could not make this stuff up if it tried.
No. 2: Nearly half (45%) of 18-24-year-olds think an Israeli airstrike caused the explosion at Gaza’s Al-Ahli Arab Hospital.
Fact: The United States, Canada, and France, among others, have said they independently confirmed that the explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital was caused by a Palestinian rocket malfunctioning in mid-flight, with no involvement of any Israeli weaponry.
Moreover, in a recent report, CNN presented the results of a forensic analysis of publicly available imagery and footage it conducted on its own, which “strongly indicates” that a rocket originating from Gaza disintegrated in mid-air. This analysis points to a fragment of the rocket landing within the hospital complex as the cause of the explosion, the report said.
No. 3: More than half (53%) of young voters say Israel, not Hamas, rules Gaza.
Fact: Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 as part of a plan led by former prime minister Ariel Sharon, known as the “Disengagement.”
Starting on August 15, more than 9,000 Israeli citizens living in 25 towns in the Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, known as Gush Katif, were evacuated. Within five weeks, all IDF installations and forces were withdrawn from the area.
Two years later, in June 2007, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority. Since then, Israel has faced a continuous threat from tens of thousands of rockets launched at innocent civilians, and Gazan civilians have lived under Hamas rule.
No. 4: More than one-third (36%) do not believe Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization in the United States.
Fact: The United States designated Hamas a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on October 8, 1997. Dozens of other countries have also designated Hamas a terrorist organization, though some apply this label only to its military wing.
No. 5: Nearly half (44%) of 18- 24-year-olds say Israel is the Palestinian homeland, not the Jewish homeland.
Fact: The connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel dates back to biblical times, with Genesis citing God’s promise of the land to the patriarch Abraham. Throughout history, Jews have maintained a deep spiritual and historical tie to this land, even though they have faced periods of exile.
Prophets in the Hebrew bible foretold a day when God would gather His people back to the Land of Israel, and this vision has been a central theme in Jewish tradition for centuries. Every year during Passover, Jews express their desire by saying “Next year in Jerusalem” as a reminder of their longing for this homeland.
Beyond the biblical narrative, the international community acknowledged the Jewish people’s political claim to the land, leading to the establishment of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948. Shortly after that, Israel gained admission to the United Nations as a sovereign state.
It’s important to note that Israel’s control over other territories today beyond what it received in 1948 was acquired due to defensive wars in response to external threats.
WHAT WERE some of the other significant and unbelievable Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll findings?
Nearly half (48%) of young people say they side with Hamas rather than Israel in this conflict.
Around the same percentage (51%) say the grievance of the Palestinians can justify the massacre.
Almost half (48%) strongly disapprove of US President Joe Biden’s pro-Israel policy.
And, perhaps more striking, more than one-third (38%) don’t think Israel has a right to defend its citizens against rocket attacks.
While everyone is entitled to his or her own beliefs, facts must remain consistent. Furthermore, suppose these young individuals continue to hold these beliefs. In that case, it raises the possibility of a substantial shift in America’s support for Israel as they mature into the older generation, potentially placing Israel in a precarious position.
The writer is deputy CEO – strategy and innovation for The Jerusalem Post and a senior correspondent. She also co-hosts the Inside Israeli Innovation podcast.