New Poll: 44% of Democrats Believe “Israel’s” Segregation Similar to Apartheid

By Al Ahed Staff, Agencies

A new poll has found that more than 40% of Democrats in the US with an opinion on “Israel” viewed it as an entity “with segregation similar to apartheid”, and a similar percentage of Democrats support the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions [BDS] movement.

The study comes at a time of heightened tensions between the far-right government in “Israel” led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Democratic Party in the US, and appears to show a shift in American attitudes towards its longstanding ally, according to the poll's researchers.

“This is remarkable because the use of the term ‘apartheid’ in the American mainstream discourse, while increasingly heard, is still highly uncommon and even taboo in many circles,” said Shibley Telhami, director of the Critical Issues Poll at the University of Maryland, which conducted the survey.

In the poll, conducted from 27 March to 5 April 2023 among 1,203 respondents, Telhami fielded several questions, including: “You may have been following recent developments in ‘Israel’, the West Bank, and Gaza. In your opinion, which of the following is closer to describing the way ‘Israel’ looks to you.”

The options that were provided included a vibrant democracy, a flawed democracy, a ‘state’ with restricted minority rights, and a “state” with segregation similar to apartheid, or "I don't know".

While the majority of respondents stated that they did not know, among Democrats who did express an opinion on the question, 44 percent said that “Israel” resembles an apartheid “state”. This follows 34 percent of Democrats who said that “Israel” is a flawed democracy.

In terms of Republicans who answered the question, 20 percent of respondents that expressed an opinion other than "I don't know" said the entity is similar to an apartheidentity, and 41 percent said “Israel” is a vibrant democracy.

“It is clear that public attitudes about ‘Israel’ are shifting. The term ‘apartheid’ appears to have become a common term among many Americans, especially Democrats,” said Telhami, who is also a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

“And even the BDS movement, which has faced considerable obstacles in the American mainstream, seems to have sizable support among Democrats who expressed their opinion.”