WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – Less than one percent of Democratic Party voters identify the Zionist regime as one of the United States’ top two allies, behind eight others, according to a new poll.
The poll, conducted by the University of Maryland (UMD), found that 0.5 percent of Democratic respondents saw the occupying regime as the first-choice U.S. ally, while 0.9 percent found the regime a second-choice.
The UK, Canada, Germany, Mexico, France, Japan, South Korea and China all rated higher among Democratic voters, according to the survey.
The poll showed that more Republicans, 20 percent, see the regime as their top ally, as do four percent of registered Independents.
Shibley Telhami, director of the UMD’s Critical Issues Poll, said the results showed evidence of a growing gap between elected Democrats and their constituents.
“The results are significant in two ways: First, they show the vast difference between Republicans and Democrats on Israel, while Republicans place Israel second only to the UK as a most-important ally, well ahead of key NATO allies, Democrats hardly mention Israel either as a first choice or a second choice and place below eight others including South Korea and even China,” Telhami told Middle East Eye.
“Second, the results highlight the gap between Congressional Democrats who continue to speak of Israel as a key ally and their constituents who obviously don’t see it that way.”
Democrat lawmakers have often touted the Zionist regime as being one of the U.S.’ closest allies.
Over the past several years, polling has helped to reveal a growing rift between the loyal support from Democratic politicians and the views held by the Democratic Party voter base on the Zionist-Palestinian issue.
Last year, Data for Progress reported that 72 percent of Democrats approved of Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s legislation to restrict U.S. funding to the occupying regime used to detain Palestinian children or to demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank, including East Al-Quds.
Despite a large amount of support, fewer than 15 percent of House Democrats supported the legislation and it has yet to be pushed for a vote after more than a year.
Another poll in 2021 found most Americans, 51 percent of respondents, opposed fully unrestricted aid to the occupying regime if it continued to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank which many global bodies describe as being in contravention of international law.
A Gallup poll in March 2021 showed a majority of Democrats favored applying more U.S. pressure on the regime to resolve the conflict.