Republicans and Democrats differ on Israel’s importance as a US ally.
By: World Israel News Staff
A recently published study shows that Republicans view Israel as an important partner, while Democrats do not.
Pew asked respondents about their perceptions of other countries in relation to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s pending visit to the US.
According to the poll, a total of 12 percent of Americans said that Israel was the “first or second most important partner for American foreign policy,” tied with Germany at third place. China came in second at 24 percent, and Great Britain was ranked as the most important US partner with 33 percent.
The breakdown on the answers based on political affiliation exposed sharply contrasting trends.
The poll showed that 24 percent of Republicans graded Israel as a top foreign policy partner out of the eight countries listed, ranking second after Great Britain (42 percent) and ahead of China (18 percent).
Democrats did not place Israel among the top eight allies, with Great Britain topping the list at 32 percent, China in second place at 26 percent, and Canada closing at 6 percent.
Democrats believe that countries like Mexico and Russia are more important US allies than Israel.