Enten: “The General Electorate Has Turned Against Israel”
CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten on Friday’s “CNN News Central” highlights recent polling showing a sharp decline in both Republicans’ and Democrats’ views of Israel.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We’re watching Democratic primaries all summer long, and there’s some big ones coming up. And one of the key issues in many of these races has been Israel, how supportive Democratic candidates want to be of Israel and U.S. aid to Israel. Over the summer, it’s been largely seen as a Democratic issue, but it might not just be a party thing. With us now, CNN Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten. And when we’re talking about Israel’s favorability in the United States in general, there’s some big changes. HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: There are some absolutely huge mammoth changes, generational changes that we’re talking about. I think there are a lot of Republicans, oh, we’ll be able to run against these anti-Israeli Democrats once we hit the general election because the general electorate feels very differently from the Democratic base. But the general electorate, look at these numbers on Israel, the net favorability. They’re all negative. They’re all negative. Ipsos minus 10 points, Fox minus 11 points, MU Marquette University Law School’s school law poll. Look at that, minus 20 points, Pew Research Center minus 23 points. Negative, negative, negative, negative. And Gallup earlier this year was also negative. We’re not just talking about the Democratic base anymore. We’re talking about the general electorate as well. The general electorate has turned against Israel. This is not just a left issue. It is an American issue when it comes to opinions on Israel. What’s the trend line here? What’s the trend line here? The trend line is unbelievable. Look at the trend line here. Compare this to Donald Trump’s first term at this point in Donald Trump’s first terms, Israel’s average net favorability. Wow. You go back here. Look at this. It was plus 51 points. Wow, Johnny says, wow, Johnny says, because this is wow, plus 51. It’s minus 16 points in the average poll now. That is what, a 67 point shift against Israel in just eight years. Israel used to be a consensus issue in American politics, and that was a pro-Israeli position. Now the consensus has actually shifted. And now when it comes to general electorate, it is a minus. Israel is now seen negatively, and we’re seeing it in poll after poll after poll. BERMAN: You just had this vote in the House where 100 Democrats voted against military assistance to Israel. How is that specific issue seen right now? ENTEN: Yeah, you said wow, right? How about wow again? Take a look here. I never thought I’d see the day military assistance to Israel say U.S. should reduce or end it. Overall, 55 percent say they should reduce or end it. And it is true across the educational spectrum. 51 percent of non-college graduates, 62 percent of college graduates. So this isn’t just an issue right among white liberals in Democratic primaries. No, no, no. This is true across the educational divide, even when we are looking towards a general electorate. The majority of Americans believe that military assistance to Israel should either be reduced or ended. BERMAN: Again, what the numbers are showing is we shouldn’t just presume that opposition to Israel or aid to Israel is a political loser now. ENTEN: Correct. BERMAN: The numbers just don’t seem to suggest that.
