The American and Israeli flags.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com
American debate on the hundreds of civilian deaths in Gaza
and the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict is polarized between
feelings of sympathy with civilian victims on either side and mutual
vilification of the Likud-led government of Israel and the Hamas-led
government in Gaza. But it may be more constructive for Americans to
think about the role that the U.S. government plays in perpetuating this
never-ending and heart-rending conflict.
Opinion polling during a crisis tends to reflect the
passions of the moment, but Americans have told pollsters for decades
that we want our government to take an even-handed position on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A Chicago Council Global Views survey in
2012 found that 65% of Americans want the U.S. to "not take either
side", while only 30% want it to "take Israel's side". That majority
rose to 74% vs 17% at the height of the U.S. war in Iraq in 2004.
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