Despite media & UN attacks, 82% of Americans support Israel — but 1-in-5 support Hamas, new poll finds

SAN DIEGO — A new poll released last week holds both good news and bad for Israelis and for pro-Israel Americans. 

Today, I’d like to begin a series of columns analyzing the results and their implications. 

Let’s begin with the good news.

According to the Harvard Harris survey, the overwhelming majority of Americans — more than 8-in-10 — support Israel in its raging and relentless war against the Hamas terrorist organization, set into motion by the October 7 surprise invasion in which Hamas slaughtered some 1,200 Israeli Jews and wounded thousands more. 

This demonstrates immensely strong and enduring bipartisan support for the Jewish state.

It is particularly encouraging — and somewhat surprising— given five months of relentless attacks and lies spread against Israel by much of the mainstream media and by so-called “progressives” in Congress, blistering criticism of Israel at the United Nations, South Africa putting Israel on trial for genocide at the World Court, and a massive spike in antisemitism on U.S. college campuses, on social media, in major metropolitan areas, and elsewhere. 

That said, the poll also contained troubling news.

Almost 1-in-5 Americans told pollsters that they support Hamas in the current war.

This is disgusting given that Hamas burned Jews alive in their homes, beheaded many, including babies, raped and sexually assaulted Israeli women and girls, and took 240 Israelis, Americans, and foreigners back into terror tunnels in Gaza as hostages and refuses, up to this moment, to set them all free.

Specifically, the Harvard Harris poll found that 82% of U.S. citizens expressed support for Israel, while 18% expressed support for Hamas.

Other key findings:

• 67% of Americans indicated they would support a ceasefire only after Hamas is removed and all hostages are released, a position that significantly differs from the Biden administration.

• 63% said they support Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, another position that significantly differs from the Biden administration.

• 78% of poll respondents indicated that they support the removal of Hamas from the Gaza Strip.

• When it comes to what the future of the Gaza Strip should look like after the war is over, 73% of Americans said they prefer either Israeli control or governance under a new governing authority set up with the help of Arab states.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at a major danger sign: The fact that younger Americans are far less supportive of Israel — and far more supportive of and sympathetic toward Hamas — than their parents and grandparents.