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New data from Pew on the Israel-Palestinian topic
Negative views of Israel have increased, but in a unique way according to demographics. 50% of Republican-leaning Americans under 50yo have a negative view, up from 35% in 2022. For the Dem-leaning in this age bracket, there’s been only a 3% shift toward negative views. For 50yo+ Republicans, negative views have increased by just 3% to sit at 23%; but for Dems in this age bracket, there’s been a 13% increase to 66%. Most of the shift in the public’s dislike of Israel has occurred among younger Republicans and older Democrats. This is interesting data, because there’s been an idea circulating that the shift in public perception of Israel is driven by younger minority progressives. And while that’s a big part, the data really tells us that Americans have changed their view in recent years in ways unaccounted for by demographic change, but which can be explained by the war. Because in just three years, from 2022 to 2025, we’re seeing huge shifts in regards to views on Israel while demographics have only changed slightly.
I think this shift is clear when looking at the media young people consume. Theo Von inconspicuously doing an “early life check” on the Sackler family in his interview with JD Vance; Shane Gillis on KillTony a few days ago; the popular youth streamer “iShowSpeed” refusing to talk to people if they mention they are Israeli. Pro-Israel Americans need a feasible game plan for dealing with this shift which doesn’t fall victim to the Streisand Effect. The current strategy of deporting foreign national students is bad, because the negative publicity far outweighs the tiny changes on university campuses. Zone of Interest came out in 2023, and our media reported on October 7th crimes well enough, yet these clearly didn’t move the needle on public favorability. There doesn’t appear to be any youth figure who can shift perceptions.
Israel is a racial-supremacist national socialist state engaged in ethnic cleansing of a hated neighbor and also but whoops, the incredibly powerful jewish minority that is wildly overrepresented in positions of cultural, financial, and government power in America has been telling us for the last 80 years that all of these things are representative of the worst kind of demonic evil. Don't know how they can possibly hope to account for this issue, every attempt stokes further anger. There are lots of other factors (whoops they're triggering a racial awakening among whites!) but they cannot possibly hope to reconcile their ethnic hypocrisy that used to be hidden but is now very public.
Israel is a racial supremacist national socialist theocratic state, but they are still better than the palestinians. It's not an issue I particularly care about in either direction, but I don't understand people who aren't willing to choose the lesser of two evils. Any reasonable country in Israel's position would react similarly. If a neighboring country sent terrorists into my country, indiscriminately killed 1000 innocent people and took hostages, I would want them flattened. Israel has held back to an impressive degree. I think the fact that these attacks have been a net positive for Palestine's image is very scary. I don't want to see their behavior rewarded.
What is the argument for the need to make a choice? Does the US pay much attention to the war between Congo and Rwanda (despite clearly laying blame on one side)? Actually have you even heard of it?
No, not at all. Or only on the crudest level of analysis. There is no way to argue that Israeli policy is the only reasonable response, not even Israelis would say that. There are many possible options. Eg China has shown its take on the situation, in Xinjiang.
The world makes us make a choice. At the outset, I dont think many people actually believe the theory that if we withdrew support for Israel Islamists would stop hating America and planning to attack America. Those who do genuinely believe that, I think are very wrong, childishly so IMO. So there is little benefit to ignoring the situation.
Plus, Europe isn't going to ignore it, they are going to keep funding the terrorists with UNRWA and other similar orgs. Iran isn't going to ignore it. It would be more plausible for us to ignore Ukraine v. Russia. Russia is at least a dwindling threat based on basically every metric. Islamism is right behind China in the global threat race. They have the bodies, they have a motivating ideology, they have a plan, even if it is chaotic and without a centralized leader.
I don't see how this compares favorably to the Israeli response in Gaza. The Uyghurs live under martial law (controlled from Beijing) and the central government is enacting an ethnic replacement plan. They also are more geographically isolated from the rest of China compared to Gaza/West Bank and Israel, otherwise China's program would be even more aggressive. The Uyghurs have no outside patrons, and the reporting is several orders of magnitude less aggressive. Overall, not a model that Israel can follow.
The problem is that you consume too much neocon/Zionist propaganda from trash like Zenz. The reporting bias may actually run in the other direction. Xinjiang today is peaceful and Uighurs are beneficiaries of strong labor laws and affirmative action. Western tourists can visit it, Americans marry Uighur people, economy is booming, infrastructure is being built… Uighurs are still the majority and will likely remain the majority because there's a finite and dwindling supply of Han people in China. Whatever has happened there during the heavy enforcement and «reeducation» period, has ended with a state of affairs both parties can at least survive without bloodshed. This is not an endorsement of what has been done. This is a point of comparison.
Meanwhile Gaza is a smoldering ruin with casualties on par with Russia-Ukraine war, and Israel is negotiating for a thorough ethnic cleansing, while the fighting goes on.
No matter how you look at it, Israelis have been extraordinarily brutal and inefficient at that. It's like saying Russia has shown exemplary discipline in Chechnya, any nation would do the same in its position. No we haven't, it was a shitshow (and ended in humiliation of handing it over to Kadyrov).
I thought it's significantly worse than the Russia-Ukraine war?
If you mean civilians only, then yes. But according to the US and Israel messaging, Palestinians are ontologically incapable of being civilians, so it's a wash.
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what is it?
Its been described many places. Essentially, it is to move to the West and live in densely Muslim communities. Then use it own Democratic processes and civil rights laws against us to demand local Sharia. Expand, seize Peter when available, etc. Eventually a full scale re-enactment of the 8th century, but this time with locally entrenched allies.
I'm not sure whether it's worse that they want to seize our Peter, or that Peter isn't even available at all times.
Hey man, sometimes we're tired alright
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