Poll: Most Democrats Think Israel a Burden to U.S.

A Brookings Institution poll has found that “a majority of Democrats, 55 percent, say that Israel is a burden” to the United States, confirming what analysts have been saying for some time about a shift in the Democratic party vis-à-vis Israel.

The findings, released by the prestigious think tank on Friday, also noted that overall, 76 percent of Americans believe Israel to be “a strategic asset” to the U.S.

Of Republicans polled, only 24 percent said they consider Israel a burden. Fifty-two percent of Independents do not consider Israel a burden and 41 percent think it is.

The data also showed that 55 percent of Democrats believe Israel has too much influence on American politics and policies, compared to 54 percent of Republicans who think Israel has the “right level” of influence.

Support for sanctions against Israel over its settlement policy rose from 37 to 46 percent. Some 46 percent said they would support action by President Barack Obama at the U.N. to pressure Israel over stalled peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Only 27 percent would oppose it, while 25 percent had no opinion.

The polling was conducted between October 5-14 and November 18-23, 2016. They involved 2,570 respondents and had margins of error of 2.5%-3.04 percent.