A survey published Tuesday offered the latest evidence of US public opinion souring on Israel, with more than half of Democratic voters and a nearly third of all American adults saying they believe the 1,000-plus-day assault on Gaza amounts to genocide.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, conducted between June 11 and June 17 of this year, found that 52% of Democratic voters “say Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians.” Thirty-one percent of all US adults—and 30% of Jewish adults—believe the Israeli military has committed genocide in Gaza, which has been obliterated with the help of American weaponry and diplomatic support from both a Democratic and Republican administration.

Harold Kalmus, a 69-year-old Democratic voter from Arden, Delaware who is Jewish, told The Associated Press that the Israeli military has inflicted “unspeakable horror” on the Gaza Strip, where Israel’s massive bombing campaign and ground attacks have killed more than 70,000 people—including tens of thousands of children—since October 7, 2023.

"They’re trying to wipe out a civilization as far as I’m concerned,” said Kalmus.

The new survey found that nearly 60% of Democratic voters—including 51% of Jewish Democrats—now believe the US government is “too supportive” of Israel, up from 45% percent in a January 2024 AP-NORC poll.

AP described Americans’ increasingly negative views of Israel as a “dramatic erosion of support for the longtime US ally, with rising opposition from Democrats and signs of division among Republicans.”

“Younger Democrats—those 45 and younger—are still more likely than older ones to say that the United States is ‘not supportive enough’ of the Palestinians, but older Democrats are catching up to their younger counterparts,” the outlet noted. “About 57% of older Democrats now say the US should do more for the Palestinians, up from 39% two years ago.”

The findings came amid internal Democratic Party turmoil over a House amendment that aims to strike $3.3 billion in US military aid to Israel from annual defense policy legislation. Leading progressive lawmakers, including top members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, have spoken out in support of the amendment, with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) calling it “a no-brainer.”

But top Democrats, including the ranking members of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, have expressed opposition to the amendment, which stands little chance of passing the Republican-controlled House.

“I don’t want Israel to be without what they need,” Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said last week.

In the Senate, a small number of leading Democrats—including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)—joined Republicans in April to block resolutions aimed at preventing the Trump administration from transferring more bombs and bulldozers to the Israeli government.

A poll released last month found that 82% of Democratic voters in New York oppose US weapons transfers to Israel, leaving Schumer and Gillibrand far out of step with their constituents.

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