Almost 50 percent of Americans say they support President Joe Biden’s decision to withhold weapons and artillery from Israel if the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) moves forward with an invasion of Rafah, a survey from the Economist/YouGov found.
The poll, conducted between May 12 and 14, found that 45 percent said they supported Biden’s decision to withhold weapons from Israel ahead of a possible invasion of southern Gaza, while 31 percent opposed his decision.
Do you support or oppose Joe Biden’s decision to withhold the delivery of certain weapons to Israel if the Israeli military moves forward with a major ground offensive in Rafah in Southern Gaza?
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) May 15, 2024
Support 45%
Oppose 31%
.@YouGovAmerica/@TheEconomist 1,818 Adults, 5/12-14 https://t.co/owmOgnt1Dy pic.twitter.com/W6FkbFuksE
When broken down, 48 percent of registered voters said they support Biden’s decision, while 35 percent of registered voters opposed his decision.
The poll also found that 71 percent of Democrats supported Biden’s decision, while 10 percent opposed his decision. On the other hand, 18 percent of Republicans said they supported Biden’s decision, while 58 percent opposed his decision.
Forty-three percent of independents expressed their support for Biden’s decision, while 27 percent opposed his decision.
A week prior, Biden had stated during an interview with CNN that he would withhold weapons and other artillery from Israel if the IDF moved forward with an invasion of Rafah, Hamas’s last stronghold in Gaza.
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as the consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden said.
Biden added: “I made it clear that if they go into Rafah, they haven’t gone into Rafah yet, if they go into Rafah – I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem.”
Days before Biden’s interview with CNN, Hamas had fired a barrage of rockets from the town of Rafah toward the Kerem Shalom border crossing, which serves as the entry point for humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip.
On May 7, the IDF sent tanks into Rafah and took control of the border it shares with Egypt, after warning residents in Rafah to seek safety and evacuate.
Several congressional aides confirmed to the Associated Press that the Biden administration plans to move forward with a $1 billion sale of weapons to Israel.
