As Townhall has been covering, polls show a shocking lack of support for Israel among Democrats, even and especially after our ally in the Middle East was attacked by Hamas terrorists. That's not exactly surprising, given how prolific anti-Israel Democrats in Congress are; there's even the Squad, which has been nicknamed "the Hamas Caucus." When it comes to Republicans, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky is pretty much the only one consistently voting with the Squad members on that issue. The previous administration, with then-President Joe Biden insisting he was running for reelection until he was forced out by his fellow Democrats, and then with then-Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the replacement nominee, claimed to be pro-Israel while trying to play both sides of the conflict. But there's a new poll out that may bring hope.
This week, the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll for March was released, with many in the media looking to highlight how President Donald Trump's approval numbers have gone down, though he's still doing fine. Further down in the poll, though, are findings about Israel-Hamas. The first key point, before we even get into the results, is that the poll uses accurate language; none of this nonsense "Palestine" phrasing.
When asked if they support Israel or Hamas, overall, respondents say they support Israel by 77-23 percent. When broken down by political parties, an overwhelming majority of Democrats, Republicans, and independents/other support Israel over Hamas. Seventy-two percent of Democrats do, as do 83 percent of Republicans, and 77 percent of those in the "other" category. That being said, 28 percent of Democrats still support Hamas. When broken down by age, a majority of every demographic supports Israel more, though the support goes up the older respondents are. The majority of those 18-24 who support Israel is rather evenly split, 52-48 percent. This is consistent with other polls conducted not long after the conflict began.
An even more hopeful question from there is that even Democrats recognize that Hamas must release the hostages, a reminder they've been given as Israel targets Gaza. The poll asks, "Do you support or oppose the position that Hamas must release all remaining hostages without any conditions or face serious consequences?" That's literally an 80-20 percent issue when it comes to how overall respondents feel.
Seventy-eight percent of Democrats say they support this position, which is actually slightly more than the 76 percent of independents/others who say so. A strong 87 percent of Republicans also say so. Majorities of each age group say so as well, which includes even 65 percent of those 18-24, though again, the support goes up the older the respondents are.
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The next question gets a bit trickier. The question asks, "Do you believe that Hamas should be allowed to govern Gaza or do you believe that Hamas should not be allowed to govern Gaza?" By 76-24 percent, overall respondents say they should not be allowed to govern the region. It's 73-27 percent for Democrats, 77-23 percent for Republicans, and 78-22 percent for independents/others, which shows the highest support for the "not allowed" option when broken down by political party. Even those aged 18-24, 63-37 percent, don't believe Hamas should be allowed to govern Gaza.
As we've seen with Palestinian "civilians" cheering on Hamas terrorists parading around the bodies of coffins carrying dead babies, like they did back in February, and even helping carry out the October 7 attack, those in the region seem to delight in supporting Hamas. It's why Hamas must be destroyed, though questions remain about what becomes of that region and the people there.
There are also questions on Iran, the supporter of Hamas, and its nuclear facilities, which a majority of all respondents and demographics believe "should be destroyed." Israel fighting back against Iran is also mentioned in the poll. While anti-Israel members of Congress may rant and rave about Israel daring to target its enemies and find all sorts of reasons to call for arms embargoes, a majority of respondents think that the U.S. should be involved, by 59-41 percent. The question asks, "Do you think that the U.S. should support Israel in airstrikes to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities or should the U.S. not offer any support for such a mission?"
Even 51 percent of Democrats say so, with that number much higher among Republicans, at 73 percent. However, this time, the 18-24 age group is even more of an outlier, as 55 percent of that demographic said they don't want the U.S. offering support.
A majority of overall respondents also approve of Trump's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, by 54-46 percent. That includes not just 84 percent of Republicans, but 48 percent of independents and a not insignificant 27 percent of Democrats. RealClearPolling showed that, according to an aggregate of polls, including a Harvard/Harris one from January, Biden had just a 31.3 percent approval rating on that issue, with 64 percent disapproving. The spread of -32.7 percent makes it one of his worst issues.
These questions are not the first time in which the Israel-Hamas conflict is relevant. The "Israel-Hamas" section and other sections regarding foreign policy come at the end of the poll. The Trump administration has been looking to deport foreign-born terrorist sympathizers, though this is yet another issue where activist judges are looking to get in the way.
Democrats may enthusiastically take to social media, even and including Jewish ones like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), to lament attempts to deport Mahmoud Khalil, one of the leaders of pro-Hamas activity at Columbia University and a participant of similar activities at its sister school, Barnard College.
One question asks, with original emphasis, "In general, do you think the administration should be deporting foreign students who voice support for terrorist movements like Hamas or otherwise go against the policy of the United States, or should they be allowed to stay here regardless of such activities?"
By 63-27 percent, overall respondents say such students should be deported. Democrats are the odd ones out, however, as 58 percent say the terrorist sympathizers lucky enough to be here on student visas should be allowed to remain here.
Democrats, however, finally do come around when it comes to students who actually act on that support. Another question asks, with original emphasis, "In general, do you think the administration should be deporting foreign students who actively support terrorist movements like Hamas or otherwise go against the policy of the United States, or should they be allowed to stay here regardless of such activities?"
Not only is that a 67-33 percent issue among overall respondents, but 51 percent of Democrats even say that such terrorist supporters should be deported.
New polling reveals that the overwhelming majority of Americans:
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) April 2, 2025
1. Stand with Israel
2. Want terror supporters on visas to be deported
2. Do not want the Iranian Regime to obtain a nuclear weapon pic.twitter.com/mlGkICE74b
The poll was conducted March 26-27 with 2,746 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.
Could this poll be an outlier? Perhaps. There's always that chance, and Harvard CAPS/Harris tends to be more favorable to Trump, so that can be a factor. This poll and the way questions are phrased also highlight the importance of why language matters, especially in this conflict.
The poll is not the only good news for Americans' sentiments about Israel. The House will be adding another particularly pro-Israel congressman soon, as state Sen. Randy Fine, a Republican, won the special election for Florida's 6th Congressional District on Tuesday night, with his race called just minutes after the polls closed.
Also on Tuesday, Amit Soussana, an Israeli woman who was held hostage by Hamas terrorists for 55 days following the October 7 attack, was one of eight women from around the world to receive an award from the State Department during a ceremony where First Lady Melania Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke. Soussana became known for being the first to come forward and share the sexual violence she endured at the hands of Hamas terrorists.
