There’s the split between Israeli and American Jews in a nutshell.
Just 46 percent of American Jews supported US President Donald Trump’s relocation of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, while 47 percent opposed the move. Within Israel, an overwhelming 85 percent of Israeli Jews supported the embassy’s move to Jerusalem, while only 7 percent disapproved.
Israeli Jews have a favorable view of Trump, with 77 percent approving of his handling of US-Israel relations and only 10 percent disapproving. By contrast, within the United States, 34 percent of American Jews approve of his handling of US-Israel relations and 57 percent disapproving.
Overall, 71 percent of American Jews disapprove of President Trump, while only 26 percent have a positive opinion of the President. The figure is has improved since the last poll, in which 77 percent disapproved and 21 percent approved of the President.
(Note: I corrected the story’s figures based on the AJC poll.)
It’s an improvement. But not the kind that will blow anyone’s mind.
Three points though.
1. Trump’s popularity keeps being underwater even while people support his policies. And so, despite the polls, he keeps winning. Plenty of people who wouldn’t say they support him, vote for him anyway.
2. American Jews are undergoing a demographic change with pro-Trump religious Jews on the way to becoming the new majority within a generation. It’s these Jews whom Trump has been targeting. And they’re quite happy with him. That’s the long game.
3. For Israelis, their country is a priority. For many American Jews, Israel isn’t.
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