Most Americans oppose US Gaza takeover; split on Trump’s Middle East policy: Report

Most Americans oppose President Donald Trump’s stated desire to forcibly evict Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and take over the enclave, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center on Trump’s foreign policy.

According to Pew, about 62 percent of those surveyed opposed the US taking over Gaza.

Just 20 percent of those polled by Pew believe the president is very or extremely likely to take over Gaza, while the number of those who believe it is not at all likely is 38 percent.

Also, more Republicans oppose US takeover of the besieged Palestinian enclave. Nearly 44 percent oppose the idea as compared to 27 percent who expressed their support.

Meanwhile, when it comes to Trump’s balancing of Israeli-Palestinian relations, only three percent people in the US survey believed the president is favoring Palestinians too much.

They are otherwise fairly divided about whether he is striking the right balance between Israelis and Palestinians.

Nearly 29 percent believe he is “striking the right balance,” while 31 percent of the people in the US believe he favors Israel too much.

However, a sizeable 37 percent of Americans are unsure if Trump, who is Israel’s staunchest ally in the Middle East, is balancing relations between Israelis and Palestinians. The survey was conducted prior to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the US.