Dem-GOP Israel rift gets wider

The gap between how Republicans and Democrats view Israel is widening, a Pew Research Center poll found.

The poll posted Tuesday showed 79 percent of Republicans but only 27 percent of Democrats sympathize with Israel over the Palestinians. Pew said this was the widest divide since 1978. The poll showed that 42 percent of Independents sympathize with Israel more than Palestinians.

The drop among Democrats was especially sharp in recent years; in April 2016, 43 percent of Democrats said they were likelier to sympathize with Israel. The rise among Republicans has also been sharp since 2001: In that year, 50 percent of Republicans said they sympathize more with Israel.

This year’s poll showed 6 percent of Republicans sympathize with Palestinians more and 25 percent of Democrats sympathize with the Palestinians more. Overall, 46 percent of Americans sympathize more with Israel, about the same amount it has been since 1978.