Survey Reveals American Jewish Community’s Divisive Views on Gaza Conflict, Campus Protests and Palestinian Statehood

Recently, the Jerusalem Center for Community Action published a survey on how the conflict between Israel and Hamas has affected members of the US Jewish community. Participants were asked about their concerns regarding the future of American Jewry amidst demonstrations at universities. The results showed that 56% were greatly concerned, 22% were somewhat concerned, and only 8% were not bothered by it.

Furthermore, 30% of respondents agreed with statements from pro-Palestinian activists that the IDF’s actions in the Gaza Strip were considered genocide, while 25% disagreed with this assessment. Additionally, 34% of respondents believed that campus demonstrations were anti-war but not anti-Israel, while 28% viewed them as anti-Israel and 25% saw them as both anti-war and anti-Israel.

In terms of support for Israel, 33% of American Jews reported that their support had increased since the conflict began, 43% stated it had not changed, and 24% said it had decreased. A small percentage (11.5%) expressed support for the Palestinians, with 8% specifying they supported the Palestinians but not Hamas.

When it came to political initiatives, there was significant variation in opinions among respondents. While 22% fully supported US President Joe Biden’s proposal to implement restrictions on arms supplies to Israel during large-scale operations in Rafah, only a third (30%) offered their support. In contrast, just over half (58%) were opposed to this proposal.

Finally, when it came to the establishment of a Palestinian state, opinions varied widely among respondents as well. While only a small percentage (11%) expressed unconditional support for this goal, nearly half (48%) believed it should be conditional on recognizing Israel as a Jewish state. Another quarter (25%) thought that in addition to recognition