WASHINGTON (JTA) — A majority of Americans back Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, according to a poll.
Fifty-seven percent of Americans see Israel’s actions as justified, with 12 percent among those respondents saying Israel is not using enough force, according to the CNN poll conducted from Friday to Sunday — just as Israel was starting the ground operation in its Protective Edge campaign launched July 8.
CNN noted that 57 percent also believed Israel was justified in its use of force during the previous conflict with Hamas in Gaza in 2012, and 63 percent thought it was justified during the 2008-09 Cast Lead operation.
Israel’s unfavorables were climbing, however, according to the survey carried out by ORC International, with 38 percent saying that they had an unfavorable opinion of the country, up 14 percent from February, and 60 percent posting a favorable opinion, down from 72 percent in February.
The telephone poll of 1,012 Americans had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
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