Only one-third of registered voters approve of President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a new poll from The New York Times and Siena College finds, with young voters especially likely to express dissatisfaction.
The finding aligns with other recent polling this month that showed significant partisan and generational divides over the Israel-Hamas war and Biden’s response.
Biden’s overall approval rating stands at 37% among registered voters, according to the Times/Siena poll, with a slightly lower 33% approving specifically of his handling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Among voters younger than 30, his approval rating stands at 26% overall and 20% on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Overall, 19% of registered voters say both that they disapprove of Biden on the conflict and that it’s because he’s too supportive of Israel, rising to 45% among voters younger than 30.
A 54% majority of registered voters support the US providing additional economic and military aid to Israel, with 38% opposed. But voters say, 48% to 30%, that Israel is not taking enough precautions to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza.
As CNN previously reported, tensions are mounting between the Biden administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza. Biden is under increasing pressure, domestically and internationally, to push Netanyahu away from the heavy bombardment of Gaza, which has sparked global outcry and calls for a sustained ceasefire.
Asked whom they trust more to handle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict between Biden and former President Donald Trump, 46% of registered voters in the Times/Siena poll say Trump, 38% Biden, and 15% are unsure. Just 1% of registered voters name the situation in Israel as the most important issue currently facing the US, with 34% naming economic- or…
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