Israel war: Majority disapproves of Biden handling of conflict

A majority of voters disapprove of President Joe Biden‘s handling of the Israel–Hamas war, but a plurality believes he is adequately supporting Israel in the conflict.

A CBS News-YouGov poll released on Thursday of 1,878 adults shows that a majority, 56%, disapprove of Biden’s job performance related to the war in Israel, but he does have a net approval rating on the matter among those under 30 who were surveyed, garnering 54% support on the topic.

BIDEN GOES DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLIC ON ISRAEL AND UKRAINE WITH OVAL OFFICE ADDRESS

A plurality of those surveyed, 44%, believe that Biden is showing the right amount of support for Israel, while 32% said they believe he has not shown enough support to the Jewish state, and 24% said they believe he has shown too much support to Israel.

When divided by age group, a plurality still believes Biden is showing the right amount of support for the Middle Eastern country, but younger people tend to believe he is showing too much support rather than not enough.

The poll showed 31% of adults under 30 believe Biden is showing too much support to Israel compared to 21% who believe Biden has not shown enough support for the country. The survey also reveals that 30% of adults aged 30-44 believe Biden is showing too much support toward the Jewish state, compared to 25% who say the president is not showing enough support toward Israel.

Miriam Alster/AP

Older age groups tended to feel more like Biden is not doing enough to support Israel. The survey showed 38% of those aged 45-64 and 41% of those aged 65 and older believe Biden is not supporting Israel enough, compared to 21% and 14%, respectively, of those age groups who believe he is doing too much to support Israel.

When asked if the U.S. should send weapons and supplies to Israel, those polled were narrowly divided 52% to 48%, with the slim majority saying the U.S. should not. A divide between age groups showed a majority of those under 45 years old believe the U.S. should not send weapons and supplies to the Jewish state, while a majority of those 45 years old and older believe the U.S. should.

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Biden reaffirmed his support for Israel in a speech from the White House on Thursday evening after the poll was released, urging Congress to pass a $100 billion supplemental funding request to support the Jewish state and Ukraine in their respective conflicts. The president also visited Israel earlier this week as a show of support for the country.

The conflict has killed at least 5,000 people in Israel and Gaza since the first attacks by Hamas, according to the Associated Press. The State Department has said that at least 30 Americans are among the dead in Israel, while several U.S. citizens are also among the people being held hostage by the terrorist group. Two American hostages were released from Gaza on Friday, Israel confirmed.