In January of 2021, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’Tselem, issued a damning report titled “This Is Apartheid.” B’Tselem is based in Jerusalem and documents human rights violations in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories. B’Tselem combats official and news media denial of the existence of such violations and works to create a human rights culture in Israel. B’Tselem was founded in 1989 with the support of ten Knesset members and a large group of Israeli lawyers, academics and medical professionals.
The documented evidence and conclusions in the B’Tselem report are compelling: Israel and the territories it occupies already form an apartheid regime. East Jerusalem and the West Bank have already been “annexed in practice.” Palestinians, whether citizens of Israel or not, do not have the same rights as Jewish Israeli citizens. Discrimination is observable and endemic. No matter where they live, Israel affords Palestinians “a different package of rights” than Jewish Israelis. The “two-state solution” if it ever was viable, is dead.
While the report made a small splash in January, U.S. news media interest and follow up quickly tailed off. As is the norm, no mainstream U.S. pollster surveyed the American taxpayers who subsidize Israel and whose government supports the regime commercially, diplomatically while lavishing secret intelligence and military support how they viewed the situation.
Between March 22-25 IRmep asked a representative sample of 2,194 American adults through Google Surveys whether – given the B’Tselem report – Israel should be a leading US aid recipient. A 38.1 percent plurality said it should not. In fielding the question, the answer order was randomly reversed and the resultant sample bias was 5.7 percent.
A plurality of Americans appear to believe, unlike their government, that systemic discrimination witnessed by credible, local observers should have consequences.
| Israel SHOULD NOT be a leading aid recipient | 38.1% | |
| Israel SHOULD be a leading aid recipient | 33.0% | |
| Other | 28.9% |
Survey Question “Israel has said it will annex the West Bank, which has a population of 3 million Palestinians and 300,000 illegal Israeli settlers. Should the U.S. formally recognize this move?”
Developed by: IRmep
Survey fielded by: Google Surveys 3/22/2021-3/24/2021
Representative Sample size: 2,194
Google survey page (link)
Raw survey data from Google (Download)
In the News 03/30/2021 ‘Cut Aid Over Israeli Apartheid’ Say Americans: Poll – Israel’s U.S. lobby rejects the label