Denting Reelection Hopes, 60% of US Voters Disapprove of Biden's Israel Policy

Along with persistent protests at public events held by U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, recent polling is continuously demonstrating that the White House's vehement support for Israel's bombardment of Gaza despite the rising civilian death toll is not winning them accolades among the voters whose backing they depend on in the upcoming election—and a new survey out Tuesday was no exception.

In the UMass Poll, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and YouGov found that out of 1,064 respondents nationwide, just under 60% said Biden is not handling "the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas" well, while just 31% approved of Biden's policy regarding Israel.

Taken from January 25-30, the poll asked American voters about a wide range of topics, from inflation and their individual ability to afford necessities to their views on whether Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, where the Israel Defense Forces have killed at least 27,585 people in air and ground attacks as well as blocking nearly all humanitarian aid—plunging the enclave into a crisis of widespread starvation and disease.

Days after an Economist/YouGov survey found that 50% of 2020 Biden voters believe the Israeli assault that the U.S. has helped fund is a genocide, Tuesday's poll found identical results for the country at large.

"We found that Americans are evenly split on this issue, with 50% viewing Israel's actions as genocidal while 50% push back against this declaration," said Tatishe Nteta, a political science professor at UMass Amherst. "Like many issues, both domestic and international, the question of whether the Israelis are committing genocide has become a reflection of the nation's partisan, gender, racial, and generational divisions as majorities of Democrats, progressives, people of color, women, and young people believe that genocide is being committed while Republicans, conservatives, whites, men, and older Americans oppose this notion."

Analysts at UMass Amherst said respondents held "persistently dim views of the national economy—even in the face of low unemployment, bullish stock markets, and easing inflation," and Nteta warned that "with the specter of a rematch with former President [Donald] Trump on the horizon, Biden will need to work to bolster his low approval numbers or face the prospect of becoming a one-term president."

Ray La Raja, another political scientist at the university, suggested that although Biden got voters' "highest praise for creating jobs and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict," with 42% of respondents saying they approved of the president's handling of those issues, their positive outlook on select actions by Biden was not enough to counter widespread disapproval of Biden, with just 39% of voters expressing overall approval.

"Majorities of voters have not been impressed with Biden on other issues," said La Raja. "Except for core Democratic voters, the American public is telling Biden they are not impressed, despite the economy bouncing back and paychecks rising for many."

Israel's war in Gaza, which the Biden administration has insisted is targeting Hamas despite top Israeli officials' statements about clearing the enclave of all Gazans, appeared to loom large for respondents when they were asked about their top fears about a second term for Biden, with many replying, "War."

The new survey bolstered the analysis of The American Prospect co-founder Robert Kuttner last week regarding another recent poll by Quinnipiac University, which showed that Biden was leading Trump, who is leading the race for the Republican presidential nomination, 50-44 overall.

"All of these gains could make little difference as long as the Israel-Gaza conflict is a festering mess, sponsored and funded by the U.S., that splits the Democratic Party and alienates younger voters and voters of color," wrote Kuttner of the Quinnipiac survey.