A shocking poll revealed that most young Americans think Israel should cease to exist and be handed over to Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza.
The Harvard-Harris poll, conducted this week, showed that 51% of Americans aged 18 to 24 supported the radical solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, which would entail the end of the Jewish state and its replacement by a Palestinian entity under Hamas rule.
Only 32% of the same age group favored a two-state solution, which would create an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, and a mere 17% suggested that other Arab countries should take in the Palestinians.
This view was drastically different from the older generations, who overwhelmingly preferred a two-state solution. Only 4% of Americans aged 65 and above agreed that Israel should be ended.
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Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) expressed his alarm at the poll results, quoting to the New York Post, “These individuals siding with evil over democracy should be a wake-up call. Ideological rot among young Americans, driven by woke values and victim culture, has gotten so bad they’ve convinced themselves to sympathize with actual terrorists who hate America.”
What does the poll have to say?
{{/usCountry}}Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) expressed his alarm at the poll results, quoting to the New York Post, “These individuals siding with evil over democracy should be a wake-up call. Ideological rot among young Americans, driven by woke values and victim culture, has gotten so bad they’ve convinced themselves to sympathize with actual terrorists who hate America.”
What does the poll have to say?
{{/usCountry}}The poll also found that 60% of the 18-24 age group justified Hamas’ Oct 7 terrorist attack, which killed 13 Israelis, as a response to the Palestinian grievance. This was more than double the percentage of Americans overall who held the same view (27%).
Moreover, 58% of the young Americans acknowledged that Hamas wanted to commit genocide against the Jews in Israel, but 60% of them also accused Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. Only 37% of Americans overall shared this accusation. Additionally, 53% of the young Americans said that students should have the right to call for the “genocide of Jews” without facing any consequences.
The poll also showed that 67% of the 18-24 age group believed that Jews should be seen as oppressors, a stance that 73% of Americans rejected as a “false ideology.”
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The poll indicated a sharp divide between young and old Americans on their support for Israel or Hamas. While more than 80% of Americans overall sided with Israel, the 18-24 age group was evenly split at 50-50.
The poll also revealed that Americans of all ages were following the conflict closely, with 69% saying they were paying “very close” or “somewhat close” attention. This figure increased to 81% for the 18-24 age group.
The poll confirmed previous studies that showed young Americans were more pro-Hamas than other groups. According to a Cygnal poll taken shortly after the attack, 57% of American Muslims said they believed Hamas’ attack against Israel was justified.
Americans' view to false narratives
Pollster Mark Penn attributed the young Americans’ views to the influence of false narratives.
“The truth is that false narratives have been allowed to fester and sink into large numbers of Generation Z students,” he said.
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Several theories have been proposed to explain why young Americans are more sympathetic to Hamas, such as the impact of woke professors and TikTok. The social media platform, owned by China, has been criticized for promoting self-harm and glorifying Osama Bin Laden.