A poll released by Pew Research Center in December has shown that while the Republican Party remains largely united in its support for Israel, liberal Democrats are almost evenly divided.
The survey asked participants whether they would sympathize with Israel or the Palestinians in a dispute. According to the poll, 75 percent of Republicans said they would sympathize with Israel while only 33 percent of liberal Democrats said they would sympathize with Israel. Twenty-two percent said they would sympathize with the Palestinians.
Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said the poll confirms a troubling shift:
This poll confirms the troubling shift among rank-and-file Democrats, for whom support of Israel is now a minority position. Other polls this past year, as well as the boos from the floor when a pro-Israel resolution was brought before the Democratic National Convention last summer, all point to lower support for Israel among Democrats. The traditional bipartisan support for Israel in Congress and the country is threatened by the leftward shift of the Democratic Party, a shift that increasingly makes it hard for some Democratic leaders to support Israel because of liberal pressure.