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Only 1% of Young US Voters ‘Most Concerned’ About Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Poll
Students are seen at an anti-Israel protest encampment at Stanford University during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Stanford, California, US, April 26, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Americans aged 18-29 are overwhelmingly indifferent to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a new poll has found, casting doubt on conventional wisdom that the country’s youth are enraged over the Jewish state’s defensive military operations in Gaza.
When asked which issue concerned them most, a meager 1 percent of respondents within the youngest age bracket of eligible US voters answered the “Israel/Palestine conflict,” according to the poll by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.
In contrast, young voters expressed far more interest in domestic issues such as the economy, inflation, and abortion.
The Democratic Party’s recent overtures to anti-Israel activists could potentially be wrongheaded, according to the polling data, which found that young voters are not likely to trust Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris more than Republican nominee Donald Trump to resolve the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Among voters aged 18-29, 28 percent said they “trust” Trump on the war in Gaza and 26 percent “trust” Harris. Harris performed far better against Trump among young voters on an array of domestic issues such as gun control, abortion, health care, and education.
Though activists have insisted that embracing an arms embargo on the Jewish state will help Harris consolidate youth support ahead of Election Day in November, Harvard’s polling data paints a more complicated picture. Among young voters, 32 percent indicated they support implementing an “arms embargo with Israel,” and 20 percent said they were opposed. A plurality, 44 percent, responded they “don’t know” if they support blocking weapons transfers to Israel.
The data calls into question whether Democrats actually benefit from seeking to placate the anti-Israel forces within their own ranks. In recent months, Harris has attempted to win over pro-Palestinian voters by adopting a more adversarial posture toward the Jewish state.The Democratic National Convention (DNC), where Harris officially became the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, hosted a panel on “Palestinian Human Rights” for the first time in history, in which activists accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
While accepting the presidential nomination, Harris vowed to end the Israel-Hamas war and secure an elusive ceasefire deal, along with a new era of “dignity, security, freedom, and self determination” for Palestinians.
Despite the extensive focus of media outlets, lawmakers, and commentators on the anti-Israel campus protests at elite universities such as Harvard, the latest polling data suggests that the typical young voter in the US shows minimal engagement with foreign affairs.
The post Only 1% of Young US Voters ‘Most Concerned’ About Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Poll first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy
Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
i24 News – Lebanon’s daunting social, economic and political issues would not get resolved unless the state persists in the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy behind so much of the unrest and destruction, special US envoy Tom Barrack told The National.
“You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical Arabic name for the region sometimes known as “larger Syria.”
The official stressed the need to follow through on promises to disarm the Iranian proxy, which suffered severe blows from Israel in the past year, including the elimination of its entire leadership, and is considered a weakened though still dangerous jihadist outfit.
“There are issues that we have to arm wrestle with each other over to come to a final conclusion. Remember, we have an agreement, it was a great agreement. The problem is, nobody followed it,” he told The National.
Barrack spoke on the heels of a trip to Beirut, where he proposed a diplomatic plan for the region involving the full disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese state.
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Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Scherbak/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian leadership that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, the Axios website reported on Saturday. The Russian strongman also relayed the message to his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, the report said.
Iranian news agency Tasnim issued a denial, citing an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.
Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Any negotiated solution must respect Iran’s right to enrichment. No agreement without recognizing our right to enrichment. If negotiations occur, the only topic will be the nuclear program. No other issues, especially defense or military matters, will be on the agenda.”
The post Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is attending at least one meeting with Israeli officials in Azerbaijan today, despite sources in Damascus claiming he wasn’t attending, a Syrian source close to President Al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS.
The Syrian source stated that this is a series of two or three meetings between the sides, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also in attendance, along with Ahmed Al-Dalati, the Syrian government’s liaison for security meetings with Israel.
The high-level Israeli delegation includes a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as security and military figures.
The purpose of the meetings is to discuss further details of the security agreement to be signed between Israel and Syria, the Iranian threat in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, the weapons of Palestinian militias, the Palestinians camps in Lebanon, and the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza in the region.
The possibility of opening an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without diplomatic status, might also be discussed.
The source stated that the decision to hold the meetings in Azerbaijan, made by Israel and the US, is intended to send a message to Iran.
The post Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.