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Supermajority of Jewish Americans think Israel and Aipac drive antisemitism
Developed over time first seen 4 hours ago
A poll commissioned by pro-Israel group J Street found that most Jewish American voters believe actions by Israel and Aipac are contributing to antisemitism in the United States. The findings challenge claims that Jewish voters broadly favour unconditional support for Israel’s government and come amid elections where US policy towards Israel was a prominent issue.
The survey, conducted by GBAO Strategies from 28 October to 3 November, found 80 per cent said Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank and Gaza increase antisemitism, while 66 per cent said Aipac’s spending against Israel-critical candidates does so. Sixty per cent said some Jewish organisations use antisemitism concerns to defend unpopular Israeli policies; 72 per cent backed Democratic candidates and 76 per cent supported sanctions on violent West Bank settlers.
In short
- Most Jewish voters surveyed linked Israeli actions to rising US antisemitism.
- Two-thirds said Aipac’s campaign spending can worsen antisemitism.
- The poll found broad support for Democrats and settler sanctions.
How this story developed
- 2 hours ago A poll commissioned by pro-Israel group J Street found that most Jewish American voters believe actions by Israel and Aipac are contributing to antisemitism in the United States.
Full account
A poll commissioned by the US advocacy group J Street suggests that many Jewish American voters believe the conduct of Israel and some organisations that advocate for it is contributing to antisemitism in the United States. According to the figures reported, 80 per cent said Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza were increasing antisemitism in the US, while 66 per cent said the same of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s spending against candidates who criticise Israel. These findings describe respondents’ views about the causes of antisemitism; they do not establish that either set of actions has caused an increase.
The poll also asked about how accusations of antisemitism are used in arguments over Israeli policy. Sixty per cent of respondents agreed that Jewish organisations which describe harsh criticism of Israel as antisemitic were using concern about antisemitism to defend unpopular Israeli government policies. Taken together, the answers suggest that many of those surveyed distinguish between concern about antisemitism and support for the Israeli government’s decisions.
GBAO Strategies conducted the poll between 28 October and 3 November, according to the longer report supplied. One of its founding partners, Jim Gerstein, said the results showed more nuance in Jewish voters’ thinking than political coverage often allows. J Street’s president, Jeremy Ben-Ami, argued that the findings challenged claims that Jewish Americans expect unconditional US support for the Israeli government. Both men were commenting on a poll commissioned by J Street, whose position in debates about Israel is relevant context for the findings.
The longer report places the antisemitism findings alongside other political responses from the survey. It says 72 per cent of Jewish voters supported Democratic candidates and 76 per cent backed sanctions against violent West Bank settlers. It also reports a higher favourability rating among Jewish Americans for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani than for Benjamin Netanyahu. Those results add context to the central finding: the voters surveyed expressed a range of views about US politics, Israeli policy and antisemitism rather than a single position on all three.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The two supplied sources present the same opening figures and wording, so they do not offer independent or conflicting accounts of the central poll findings.
Source 1 continues with the poll’s political findings, reactions from GBAO Strategies and J Street, and election claims. Source 2 ends after the finding about organisations describing criticism of Israel as antisemitic. No outlet names, links, sample size or polling methodology were supplied.
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