New Delhi: A majority of Americans believe Hamas is responsible for the violence ensuing in the Middle-East after the militant group’s 7 October attacks in Israel, a survey has found.
The survey by US-based think tank Pew Research Center says 65 percent of American respondents believe Hamas holds ‘a lot of responsibility’ in the ongoing conflict, while 35 percent hold the Israeli government responsible.
A majority of both Republicans (73 percent) and Democrats (62 percent) believe Hamas is to blame for the conflict in the Middle East.
However, Democrats are also more than twice as likely as Republicans (21 percent) to hold Israel responsible.
Of this, about 60 percent of respondents above the age of 30 held Hamas responsible for the war, while this figure was 46 percent among young adults between the ages of 18-29. As many as 8 in 10 respondents above the age of 65 believed Hamas has ‘a lot’ of responsibility for the conflict.
The Israel-Hamas war has been ongoing for the past two months, killing roughly 1,200 Israelis and at least 17,000 Palestinians, according to estimates. Apart from a week-long truce between the two sides, brokered by Egypt and Qatar, Gaza has been facing constant aerial bombings as well as a ground offensive by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
While many countries and international organisations including the United Nations have called for a ceasefire, Israel has remained adamant in its opposition to a truce.
On Saturday, the US vetoed a UNSC resolution demanding an ‘immediate ceasefire in Gaza’ as it failed to condemn Hamas’ 7 October attack.
The Pew survey found that almost 4 in 1o adults (38 percent) under the age of 35 believe Israel’s military operation against Hamas in Gaza is going too far while this view is less and less popular among older respondents.
Here, more than 4 in 10 Democrats (45 percent) believe Israel’s military operation is going too far, compared to 12 percent Republicans.
However, roughly 4 in 10 (41 percent) Americans disapproved of US President Joe Biden’s response to the conflict while 35 percent approved and 24 percent were not sure.
Adults under age 30 view the Biden administration’s response most negatively, with 46 percent disapproving of their policies and only 19 percent supporting them. Among older age groups, these negative perceptions decline, with half of the respondents (50 percent) above the age of 65 supporting the US government’s decisions.
Moreover, the study found that Americans who have been watching news about the war are more likely to have a view on the administration’s response.
For the survey, Pew sought responses from 5,203 adults in the US, between 27 November and 3 December. About 26 percent participants said they were following the Israel-Hamas war closely, of which 35 percent were adults ages 50 and older while 18 percent were adults below 50 years of age.
Also Read: Majority Indians want their leaders to focus more on domestic issues than world’s, finds Pew survey
48% concerned about violence against Jews
Almost half of the respondents (48 percent) were very concerned about rising violence against Jews living in the US, while 37 percent were very concerned about threats to Muslims living in the country.
Here, Democrats (53 percent) were more likely than Republicans (22 percent) to be concerned about violence against Muslims. Yet, both were found to be equally concerned about violence against Jews in the country.
Furthermore, 4 in 10 respondents (44 percent) were extremely worried that the war may extend for a long time, while 42 percent believed it may spill over into other countries in the Middle East and 41 percent said they felt the war could lead to a terrorist attack in the US.
While half of the Democrats surveyed were found to be much more concerned about the war in the Middle East lasting a long time, nearly half of all Republicans surveyed (48 percent) were extremely concerned that the conflict could lead to a terrorist attack on American soil.
Half of the respondents (52 percent) said they believed ‘a two-state solution’ could resolve this conflict while 45 per cent said such a solution was not possible. More Democrats (62 percent) viewed a peaceful, two-state arrangement as possible, compared to 43 percent of Republicans.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: Indians believe in US’s economic power more than people in its fellow NATO countries — Pew essay