Americans strongly support US-Israel ties, see Iran proxies as direct threat: Poll

David Isaac

Supporters of CUFI at the 2019 “Night to Honor Israel” at Pastor John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. Source: CUFI/Facebook.

Despite post-Oct. 7 campus upheavals, a trend toward isolationism and a surge in global antisemitism, a clear majority of Americans remain steadfast in support of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

That is the conclusion of a poll conducted in March whose findings were released at the Jewish News Syndicate’s International Policy Conference taking place in Jerusalem, April 27-28.

Nationwide, 65% of Americans consider the U.S. relationship with Israel either “very” or “somewhat important,” highlighting the bipartisan and cross-generational recognition of Israel as a vital ally in the Middle East.

Attitudes have changed little from a similar poll in September 2024. Then, 62% of Americans said the U.S.-Israel relationship was “very” or “somewhat important.”

“Our polling data in the U.S. and Israel, now and in the past, has consistently illustrated how the U.S.-Israel relationship is ingrained in the fabric of Americans,” said Jennifer Sutton, executive director of the Council for a Secure America, which sponsored both polls.

CSA, a U.S. nonprofit, focuses on issues related to U.S. energy independence and the historic 2020 U.S.-brokered agreement between Israel and several Muslim states.

“CSA is committed to championing the ideals of global energy security and promoting the importance of the Abraham Accords and their critical impact on geopolitical security, investment and global trade,” Sutton told JNS.

In tandem with the nationwide survey, CSA conducted a poll focusing on nine energy-producing or “heartland” states: Iowa, Indiana, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

There, the change was more dramatic. The proportion of those viewing the U.S.-Israel relationship as “very” or “somewhat important,” rose from 51% in September to 65% in March.

The survey also found a majority (53%) of U.S. adults agree that “America should take a leadership role in stabilizing and ending conflict in the Middle East,” reflecting support for continued engagement—especially in partnership with democratic allies such as Israel, Sutton said.

This was reflected in the response to a question asking whether “the United States should take a more or less active role in combating foreign enemies and supporting our allies, or is its current role about right?”

Eighty-two percent of respondents said the U.S. should take a more active role or maintain its current role. Only 17% said it should take a less active role.

Iran’s proxies

Fifty-seven percent of Americans agreed with the statement that “Iran’s proxies in the Middle East, such as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, pose a direct threat on the United States and our Western allies.”

That number remained little changed from the September 2024 poll.

However, the narrower nine-state poll registered a significant increase among those agreeing with the statement that Iran’s proxies pose a direct threat, up to 60% from September’s 45%.

Only 9% of Americans nationwide “somewhat” or “strongly” disagreed with the “direct threat” statement. That figure dropped to 6% in the nine-state poll.

Those states also notched a 14% rise among those calling for an increase in military action against Iran’s proxies, Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.

“While CSA educates policy makers from across America, recent educational initiatives and state-level outreach are most robust in these nine states,” said Sutton, explaining the jump. “The recent data confirms audiences in Middle America understand the threat of Iran not only to our allies, but also to the United States.”

Eighty-five percent of Americans favored either increasing (28%) or maintaining (57%) current U.S. military action against Iran and its terrorist proxies.

“This strong backing reflects the American public’s commitment to confronting extremist threats alongside our ally Israel,” Sutton said.

However, the younger the age group, the less it supported the view that Iran’s proxies pose a direct threat. Baby boomers, ages 79-61, were most supportive of this view (75%); then Gen X, ages 54-60, (59%); followed by Millennials (aka Gen Y), ages 29-44, (52%); and Gen Z, ages 13-28, (29%).

“Polling shows as age increases with Americans, there is a deeper understanding of the global impact of terrorism. This can be attributed to their exposure to world events and numerous conflicts including the 1973 oil embargo, the [1979-81] Iran hostage crisis, the [1990-91] Gulf War, 9/11, and the subsequent war on terror,” Sutton said.

Despite the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, launched from a Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip, the poll found nationwide American support for a two-state solution, which would establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel, remained steady over the September 2024 poll, at 32% from 31%.

Support for a two-state solution increased with educational level: post-graduates (54%); bachelor’s degree (47%); no college degree (32%).

In the nine-state poll, there was actually a jump from 21% to 32% in favor of a two-state solution over the September 2024 poll.

Polling firm Morning Consult conducted the survey, collecting data from a national sample of 2,201 American adults on March 20-21. The margin of error was +/-2.0%.

Jewish Israelis

CSA also commissioned a poll of Jewish Israelis (Feb. 2-4, 2025). Unlike the U.S. poll, that survey found a clear majority of Israelis opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state next to Israel (64%).

It found “near unanimous agreement” on the importance of the Israel-U.S. relationship. Ninety-six percent of respondents said it was very (74%) or somewhat (24%) important.

It found the Abraham Accords “wildly popular” among Israelis, with 79% supporting them. Israelis also supported a future Israel-Saudi deal, with 80% in favor.

“This affirms the transformational impact of U.S.-brokered diplomacy and signals public appetite for expanding peace through strength,” Sutton said.

Using a comparison with earlier surveys, the poll showed that Israeli opposition to a Palestinian state has increased markedly, from 40% opposed in 2015 to 64% opposed in 2025.

The Israeli poll was conducted on Feb. 2-4, 2025 by Panels Ltd., surveying 529 respondents. The margin of sampling error was +/-4.0% with a confidence level of 95%.

The CSA also included in its report Palestinian polls taken from publicly available sources.

They revealed disturbing attitudes on the part of Palestinians, including overwhelming support (75%) for the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, in which some 1,200 Israelis were butchered.

Violence against Israel is still seen as effective among Palestinians, with 48% agreeing with the premise in a September 2024 poll, although that is down from 64% in a November 2023 survey.

Hamas is viewed as the entity most deserving to lead Palestinians by 43% of those surveyed in that poll.

The Palestinian poll’s sample size was 1,200 or more adults interviewed face-to-face in more than 100 randomly selected locations. The margin of error was +/-3%.

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/407327

Pamięć o okrucieństwach wymaga uzbrojenia się po zęby

Phyllis Chesler
Tłumaczenie: Małgorzata Koraszewska

Phyllis Chesler – Emerytowana profesor psychologii, znana amerykańska feministka, autorka wielu książek, w tym An American Bride in Kabul i A Politically Incorrect Feminist.

Russia to Fund New Nuclear Power Plant in Iran as Bilateral Ties Deepen Amid US Talks

Ailin Vilches Arguello

Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad met with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in Moscow on April 24, 2025. Photo: Screenshot

Russia has pledged to fund the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Iran as part of a broader energy agreement that also includes a major gas deal between the two countries, as relations between Moscow and Tehran continue to deepen.

On Friday, Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad traveled to Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Tsivilev, as part of the 18th Joint Economic Cooperation Commission.

Paknejad announced that Moscow and Tehran are strengthening their bilateral ties in what he described as “peaceful” nuclear energy, with the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Iran, to be financed through Russian funding.

“Iran and Russia will continue their cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and the construction of new nuclear energy facilities and the completion of phases two and three of the Bushehr power plant using Moscow’s credit line,” the Iranian minister said during the closing ceremony of the commission.

According to Iranian state media, the two countries also agreed to a 55 billion cubic meters gas transfer deal.

Despite holding the world’s second-largest gas reserves after Russia, Iran continues to import gas due to severe under-investment in its energy sector, caused by mounting US sanctions targeting Tehran’s oil industry under President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign, which aims to cut the country’s crude exports to zero and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

As part of the energy agreement, Paknejad also announced that Iran will sign a $4 billion deal with Russian companies to develop seven oil fields across the country.

“Multilateral cooperation between Iran and Russia through membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, and OPEC+ has led to the provision of common interests, peace, stability, and international security, and I am confident that this cooperation will deepen,” the Iranian minister said during his speech.

Tehran became a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) — a Eurasian security and political group — in 2023 and also joined the BRICS group in 2024 — a bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa that positions itself as an alternative to economic institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

These energy deals and expanding nuclear cooperation between Russia and Iran come as the Iranian regime prepares for a third round of nuclear talks with the US in Oman this weekend.

Tehran has previously rejected halting its uranium enrichment program, insisting that the country’s right to enrich uranium is non-negotiable, despite Washington’s threats of military action, additional sanctions, and tariffs if an agreement is not reached to curb Iran’s nuclear activities.

However, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that any deal with Iran must require the complete dismantling of its “nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.” Witkoff’s comments came after he received criticism for suggesting the Islamic Republic would be allowed to maintain its nuclear program in a limited capacity.

With both Iran and Russia under Western sanctions and Russia’s oil and gas exports to Europe sharply reduced since the start of the war in Ukraine, the two nations have increasingly strengthened their bilateral ties.

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law officially ratifying a 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Tehran, further deepening their military cooperation.

As an increasingly close partner of Iran, Moscow’s diplomatic role in the ongoing US-Iran nuclear talks could be significant in facilitating a potential agreement between the two adversaries. Russia can leverage its position as a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council and a signatory to a now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal that imposed temporary limits on the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Russia could reportedly be considered a potential destination for Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium and a possible mediator in any future nuclear deal, particularly in the event of breaches to the agreement.

This option would allow Russia to “return the handed-over stockpile of highly enriched uranium to Tehran” if Washington were to violate the deal, ensuring that Iran would not be penalized for American non-compliance.

Some experts and lawmakers in the US have expressed concern that a deal could allow Iran to maintain a vast nuclear program while enjoying the benefits of sanctions relief.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi expressed his willingness to engage in talks with European powers regarding Tehran’s nuclear program, indicating that the country is keeping its options open. In response, France also signaled that European nations were open to dialogue if Iran showed it was seriously engaged.

Despite Iran’s claims that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes rather than weapon development, Western states have said there is no “credible civilian justification” for the country’s recent nuclear activity, arguing it “gives Iran the capability to rapidly produce sufficient fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons.”

Trump administration strips UNRWA of legal immunity in court filing

Mike Wagenheim

UNRWA offices in Jerusalem on the day that the U.N. agency was banned from operating in Israel, Jan. 30, 2025. Photo by Aron Leib Abrams/Flash90.

The U.S. Department of Justice told the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday that the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has been stripped of its legal immunity.

The decision was taken as part of a case filed last year in which families of victims of the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sued UNRWA for its ties to terrorism. Israel has said that at least 18 UNRWA staff members took part directly in the assault across the Gaza border into southern Israel.

The plaintiffs also allege long-term fraud and corruption in handling financial aid routed through UNRWA into the Gaza Strip—$1 billion of which critics say has fallen into the hands of Hamas and other terror groups.

“The complaint in this case alleges atrocious crimes committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, and its factual allegations, taken as true, detail how UNRWA played a significant role in those heinous offenses,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York wrote to the U.S. district judge Analisa Torres. 

“Previously, the government expressed the view that certain immunities shielded UNRWA from having to answer those allegations in American courts,” per the filing. “The government has since re-evaluated that position and now concludes that UNRWA is not immune from this litigation. Nor are the bulk of other defendants.”

The claim by the U.S. attorney’s office added that UNRWA is not legally considered an affiliated organ of the United Nations since it was formed and continues to hold its mandate as a result of a resolution by the U.N. General Assembly. The U.S. Justice Department said the General Assembly may have lacked the authority to create the agency.

Former President Joe Biden’s administration held that the United Nations and UNRWA were immune from the lawsuit.

If found not to have immunity, UNRWA, its leaders and employees—and perhaps the United Nations at large—could be ordered to pay large compensation to victims and their families.

Stripping diplomatic immunity from UNRWA might also call into question the future of U.N. headquarters in New York and could impact the Knesset’s decision, effective this past January, to ban UNRWA from operating within Israeli territory.

The office of António Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general, told JNS that “we have seen the letter filed by the U.S. Department of Justice with the court. We will review it carefully.”

“The position of the United Nations is longstanding and clear. UNRWA is a subsidiary body of the General Assembly and, as such, is entitled to immunity from legal process under the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations,” the secretary-general’s office added. (An UNRWA spokesperson sent JNS the same statement.)

“This issue is before the federal district court in New York, and through our counsel, we will continue to set out the basis for our position before the court,” the secretary-general’s office told JNS. “We will consider whether any other action is appropriate with respect to the letter.”

Marsz Żywych w Auschwitz – Birkenau (Fot. Grzegorz Celejewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl)

Tysiące Żydów na Marszu Żywych w Auschwitz-Birkenau. Andrzej Duda: “Nie wolno milczeć wobec nienawiści”

Milena Kuchnia

– Moja rodzina została zamordowana w Auschwitz. Jestem tu po raz pierwszy, żeby się z tym skonfrontować i stanąć w tym miejscu — opowiada 87-letnia Fran Malkin.

Wychowywała się w Sokalu na Wołyniu. Jako sierota trafiła do getta. Przez dwa lata Polka Francisca Halamajowa chowała ją w swojej piwnicy wraz z kilkunastoma innymi Żydami. – Trzynastu z nas na strychu nad chlewem, a trzech w piwnicy pod kuchnią. Miałam trzy lata. Jestem tu także dla niej — wyznaje Ocalała.

Fran Malkin, Ocalała z Holocaustu, podczas Marszu Żywych 2025 Fot. Grzegorz Celejewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Marsz Żywych 2025. “My wyjdziemy stąd pieszo. Oni wyszli kominami, jako dym”

Od rana pod były niemiecki obóz koncentracyjny podjeżdżały autokary z żydowską młodzieżą z całego świata. W Polsce są już od kilku dni — odwiedzają miejsca zagłady, modlą się i uczestniczą w spotkaniach edukacyjnych.

Dziś, podczas Marszu Żywych, wraz z kilkusetosobową grupą polskich uczniów i studentów, pokonują tzw. “Drogę Śmierci” – trzykilometrową trasę spod bramy z napisem “Arbeit Macht Frei” w Auschwitz I do byłego obozu Auschwitz II — Birkenau. Na tegoroczny marsz przyjechało ok. 7 tys. młodych osób.

– Ja mam na liście szesnaście osób — mówi Amerykanin z grupy Davida Cohena. – Żeby się tego wszystkiego dowiedzieć, wynająłem genealoga, a potem podjąłem decyzję o przyjeździe.

– Za chwilę przejdziemy przez bramę. Nasi przodkowie też ją kiedyś przekroczyli. My wyjdziemy pieszo. Oni wyszli kominami, jako dym — dodaje David.

Fot. Grzegorz Celejewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Andrzej Duda: “Nie możemy milczeć wobec nienawiści wobec jakiegokolwiek narodu”

W tym roku marsz poprzedziło spotkanie prezydentów Polski i Izraela. O 10 rano politycy wspólnie złożyli wieńce pod Ścianą Śmierci i odwiedzili Pawilon Żydowski w Bloku 27 na terenie byłego obozu Auschwitz I. Następnie odbyli zamknięte, dwudziestominutowe spotkanie, po czym spotkali się z młodzieżą i z Ocalałymi z Holocaustu.

– Dziękuję prezydentowi Izraela, że wziął udział w Marszu Żywych, w roku 80-lecia wyzwolenia Auschwitz-Birkenau. Nie wolno milczeć wobec nienawiści wobec jakiegokolwiek narodu, bo to potem prowadzi do zagłady. Tragedię narodu żydowskiego nazywamy Holocaustem, ale to była dzika żądza nienawiści. Pamięć musi trwać jako ostrzeżenie dla świata — mówił Andrzej Duda.

Fot. Grzegorz Celejewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

– W dniach, kiedy znów podnosi się antysemityzm, musimy mówić światu “nigdy więcej” poprzez oświatę i kulturę — stwierdził Isaac Herzog, prezydent Izraela.

– W zeszłym roku zostałam zaproszona do Niemiec. Przełamałam się i po raz pierwszy w życiu postawiłam nogę w tym kraju. Rozmawiałam z wnukami i prawnukami nazistów. Oni błagają nas o wybaczenie. Nie możemy zapomnieć, ale możemy próbować dążyć do wybaczenia — mówiła jedna z Ocalałych. – Never forget! – krzyknęła inna.

Marsz rozpoczął się wołaniem do Boga o miłosierdzie

O godzinie 13 pod bramą “Arbeit Macht Frei” rozległ się dźwięk szofaru, tradycyjnego instrumentu z rogu  baraniego, który co roku rozpoczyna Marsz Żywych. To symboliczne wołanie do Boga o miłosierdzie.

Uczestnicy marszu w milczeniu wyruszyli w stronę Brzezinki. W powietrzu powiewały izraelskie flagi, widać było wypisane imiona i nazwiska zamordowanych oraz tablice z nazwami organizacji i państw — od Australii, przez USA, po Argentynę.

Z założenia marsz odbywa się w ciszy. Niektóre grupy szły jednak, śpiewając żydowskie pieśni.

Fot. Grzegorz Celejewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Młodzi: Co to w ogóle znaczy dziś “nigdy więcej”?

Dlaczego zdecydowali się na przyjazd do Polski? Większość z nich to potomkowie ofiar Holocaustu. Mówią o swoich rodzinach, wymieniają nazwiska. Niektórzy znają dokładne daty, inni do tej pory nie poznali dokładnych losów swoich bliskich — dziadków, matek, wujków.

– Przyleciałam tu z Kanady z grupą stu dziesięciu młodych ludzi pochodzenia żydowskiego. Nieważne, ile książek o Holocauście by przeczytali, ile filmów obejrzeli, dopiero kiedy stają tutaj, dociera do nich, czego dopuściła się ludzkość — mówi Tammy Glied, której rodzina zginęła w Auschwitz. – Spalono tu właściwie całą moją rodzinę. Ponad pięćdziesiąt osób — mówi.

Grupa jest w Polsce od kilku dni. Marsz jest zwieńczeniem projektu edukacyjnego, podczas którego żydowska młodzież odwiedza miejsca zagłady, uczestniczy w warsztatach edukacyjnych i integruje się ze sobą.

– Co dzieje się w głowie dorosłego człowieka, który nagle stwierdza, że czyjeś pochodzenie jest powodem do zabijania? I co to w ogóle znaczy dziś “nigdy więcej”, jeśli wojna dzieje się kilkaset kilometrów stąd? – pyta Kanadyjka.

Fot. Grzegorz Celejewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

O historii swojej rodziny i powodach przyjazdu opowiada nam również Shari Graucher z Izraela. – Mój pradziadek i całe jego rodzeństwo trafili do Auschwitz. Jako jedyny przeżył. Wybierałem się do Oświęcimia latami, ale nigdy nie dotarłem. Kiedy wojna wybuchła u nas, a te straszne obrazy znów stały się rzeczywistością, poczułem, że to ten moment, że trzeba się z tym zmierzyć.

– Hitler nie miał dzieci, nie muszą tego oglądać. Jesteśmy tu my — synowie, córki i wnuki tych, których zamordowano — dodaje David Cohen, który do Auschwitz przyleciał z USA.

Shari Graucher, potomek ofiar Holocaustu podczas Marszu Żywych 2025 Fot. Grzegorz Celejewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Echa wojny w Palestynie słyszalne w Auschwitz-Birkenau

Podczas upamiętnienia ofiar Holocaustu nie zabrakło odniesień do wojny izraelsko-palestyńskiej. “Bring them home!” – krzyczała jedna z uczestniczek. Inni trzymali zdjęcia ofiar aktualnej wojny. Na spotkaniu z Ocalałymi i ich rodzinami pojawił się zaproszony były zakładnik Hamasu.

Na trasie marszu pojawił się liczący kilka osób protest propalestyński. Jeden z uczestników marszu pokazał w ich stronę środkowy palec. Protestujących otoczyła policja.

Propalestyński protest podczas pochodu Marszu Żywych przez wiadukt. Fot. Grzegorz Celejewski / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Marsz Żywych zakończy się uroczystościami w Brzezince. Prezydent Izraela weźmie w nich udział osobiście, a Andrzeja Dudę będzie reprezentował Wojciech Kolarski, szef Biura Polityki Międzynarodowej i Sekretarz Stanu w Kancelarii Prezydenta RP. 

Redagowała Dorota Gut