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Over half of young Americans think Israel should be destroyed, given to Hamas

A larger majority of the 18-24 age group also hold the contradictory view that Israel has a right to exist.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Most young American think Israel should be destroyed by being given to Hamas, according to a poll conducted last week by Harris Insights and Analytics and Harvard University’s Center for American Political Studies (CAPS).

Although a whopping 84% of the 2,034 polled agreed that the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, when its fighters massacred 1,200 people, was a terrorist attack, including 73% of the 18-24 age group, 51% of the young Americans still felt that the long-term answer for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was for “Israel to be ended and given to Hamas and the Palestinians.”

This answer then clashed with the belief of 69% of this age group that Israel has a right to exist, as determined by a different question, and the fact that 50% said they support Israel more than Hamas.

Overall, 86% said that “Israel has a right to exist as the homeland of the Jewish people.”

Jerusalem could perhaps heave a sigh of relief that this was the lowest recorded percent of support for Israel, as the higher age groups ranged from 69% to 96% who favored the Jewish state over the terrorist organization.

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Fully 60% of the youngest age group also simultaneously held the position that the attack was genocidal in nature and yet the Hamas slaughter, and kidnapping “of 250 civilians” including infants and the elderly, “can be justified by the grievance of Palestinians.”

The numbers matched up better in almost all the other age groups, where the high majorities that said Hamas was attempting genocide on October 7 also said that their crimes could not be justified. Only in the 35-44 age group did 70% say that Hamas’ attack was genocidal while 40% said it could be justified.

The vast acknowledgement that Hamas was trying to wipe out the Jews did not quite accord with the respondents’ negative opinion of Hamas, asked separately, which stood at 65% and not higher.

Israelis could also take comfort from the solid majority of 65% who said the U.S. should support Israel in its war against Hamas, without noting a breakdown of ages. The support extends across the aisle, with 63% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans agreeing.

In terms of aid, however, the number drops to a more even 54-46% split in favoring the White House’s bid to send $14 billion in aid to help Israel fight. And a large majority of 65% think it correct for Republicans to hold up the aid until they get added border security.

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In general, 54% had a favorable view of Israel, vs. 26% unfavorable. Far fewer approved of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with only 36% holding a favorable view of him, and 26%, unfavorable. The Palestinian Authority (PA) and its leader, President Mahmoud Abbas, lagged far behind that, with only 19% having a positive opinion of the PA and 48%, negative, and an even lesser 12% thinking well of the Palestinian head, with 27% giving him a thumbs down.

Overall, the conflict was only considered the most important issue facing the country by seven percent of those polled, and Israel being “the biggest issue to you personally” for only two percent of the respondents. Inflation/price rises, the economy and jobs led the way with a combined 56% of the pie.

When asked how well they thought President Joe Biden was handling the Israel-Hamas conflict, 42% overall voiced approval. This number has dropped only slightly since October, when 44% approved.

ANTISEMITISM

When asked about antisemitism, solid majorities starting in the 60%-range and up over all the age groups said they thought it was rising and that it is prevalent on university campuses. When asked who is to blame on campuses, almost a quarter (24%) said “it’s always been there,” while students were blamed by a fifth of those polled. Left-wing political movements (18%) came in third, foreign funding and university presidents were next at 11%, and seven percent put the onus on the faculty.

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In contrast to the testimony of the heads of Harvard, University of Pennsylvania and MIT, a whopping 79% of Americans say that calling for the genocide of Jews on campus is hate speech, and 74% say students should face “actions” for violating university rules if they do so. However, the 18-24 years olds bucked the trend in this case as well, with 53% responding that students “should be told that they are free to call for genocide.”

The youngest set was also far more willing than anyone else to agree with the statement that “Jews as a class are oppressors and should be treated as oppressors,” with 67% concurring. The numbers dropped precipitously to 44% for the 25-34 year-olds and sank steadily through to only nine percent saying they agreed in the 65+ age group.