Democrats & Republicans Spar Over Pro-Israel Support

Around two-thirds of US voters describe themselves as pro-Israel and oppose reducing American security aid to the Jewish state, according to a new poll.

The survey -- performed by The Mellman Group for the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) -- found that 67 percent of all voters, 68 percent of Democrats and 68 percent of voters in battleground states view themselves as pro-Israel.

Among Democrats, 72 percent called Israel a "strong US ally," and 71 percent wanted to see a party platform adopted this year that was at least as favorable to Israel as the 2016 one.

The poll also revealed that voters in battleground states would back pro-Israel candidates with Democratic positions over pro-Israel candidates with Republican positions by a 13-point, 51%-38%, margin.

However, pro-Israel Republicans would beat Democrats with records of "not supporting Israel" by 4 points -- 44%-40%.

"While some deny the facts, the reality is, American voters have overwhelmingly positive attitudes toward Israel and are strongly supportive of the US-Israel alliance," stated DMFI President and CEO Mark Mellman. "Support for Israel is wise policy. This poll shows that it is also smart politics for Democrats, especially in critical battleground states."

The poll results comes just as Pro-Israel America, a grassroots organization dedicated to electing pro-Israel members of Congress, reported that it has raised more than $2 million for candidates in the 2020 election cycle, 81 percent of which were contributions under $200.

In doing so, it announced that it had met its first-cycle goal in contributions from grassroots activists committed to advancing and strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship, the organization told JNS.

"This important milestone has proven the effectiveness of grassroots activism in the pro-Israel community, and we thank our 150,000-and-growing member base that has helped us reach this goal," said executive director Jeff Mendelsohn. "This achievement demonstrates that the American public understands the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship."

Since its launch in March 2019, Pro-Israel America has endorsed 52 congressional candidates who support and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship: 21 Republicans and 31 Democrats, exemplifying the bipartisan nature of the group's work.

To date, 35 candidates it has endorsed have won their primaries, including Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), for whom the organization raised more than $83,000, and Kay Granger (R-Texas), for whom the group raised more than $42,000.

At the same time, it has suffered defeats, most notably in New York's 16th Congressional District, where longtime incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel--a well-known figure in the pro-Israel community who is also the chairman of the influential U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee--lost to Jamaal Bowman, a progressive endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y), as well as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Pro-Israel America gave Engel at least $127,981 towards the race.

In a statement, Pro-Israel America board chairman Jonathan Missner said "all eyes are now on Minnesota's fifth district, where Democrat Antone Melton-Meaux is running against freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in the Democratic primary."

Ahead of the Aug. 11 primary, Pro-Israel America has raised $397,000 for Melton-Meaux.

Despite the support for Israel among many Democrats, the Democratic Party on Wednesday released its draft 2020 platform which includes language that opposes an Israeli move to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria and supports the rights of Palestinian Arabs.

Originally published at JNS.org - reposted with permission.