Americans who know about Israel's planned annexation are against it, poll shows
Americans who know about Israel's planned annexation are against it, poll shows
Most of the 2,395 American adults polled in March who were aware of Israel's plan viewed it as "too favourable toward Israel".
2 min read
One third of respondents said they were “not very familiar” with Trump's plan. [Getty]
The majority of Americans who know about Israel's plan to annex the Palestinian territories in the West Bank on July 1 describe it as an "occupation", a poll fielded by the University of Maryland found.
Most of the 2,395 American adults polled in March who were aware of Israel's plan viewed it as "too favourable towards Israel".
One third of respondents said they were "not very familiar" and 36 percent were completely unfamiliar with President Donald Trump's Middle East plan, which supports Israel's formal annexation of thirty percent of the Palestinian territories in the West Bank.
Only a quarter of respondents said they were "somewhat familiar" with Trump's plan, and less than one in 20 people said they were "very familiar with it".
"It's improbable that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will play a major role, given everything else that Americans now face," argues Shibley Telhami from the Center for Middle East Policy, US Relations with the Islamic World in his analysis of the poll.
Of those who have knowledge on the subject, responses were substantially partisan, with 71 percent of Democrats and 53 percent of Independents having "unfavourable" opinions towards Israeli annexation.
Additionally, more than half of the Republicans surveyed were favourable to the conservative president's plan.
Almost half of respondents said the plan was "too favourable towards Israel" whilst only one in ten people said it was "too favourable toward the Palestinians".
Twitter Post
|
Whilst the US president claims his proposal assures Palestinians with a state of their own, only 8 percent of those surveyed said they would consider his plan as giving them a "state", and said this entity would constitute "occupied territories".
Annexation is just one part of Trump's so-called "Deal of the Century", which also calls for the creation of a demilitarised Palestinian state, largely encircled by Israel, with a capital outside of Jerusalem, going against the demands of Palestinians and the international community.
Israel has occupied the West Bank illegally since 1967, and commits various abuses against Palestinian civilians, human rights groups say.
More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.
The Oslo agreement of 1995 divided the occupied West Bank into three: Area A, Area B and Area C.
Area A is under the administrative and security control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Area B's administration is controlled by the PA, with Israel controlling security.
Area C is under full administrative and security control of Israel.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected
More In News
