Support for Palestine surges in Australia — poll
April 7, 2017
Protesters march outside the Town Hall in Sydney on 23 February, during a rally against an official visit to Australia by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. David Moir EPA/Newscom
A new poll finds that 55 percent of Australians see boycotting Israeli goods and services as a reasonable way to apply pressure in support of Palestinians rights.
That is up from just 31 percent who expressed support for the boycott of Israel in 2014.
In the same period, the number who said they would not support a boycott of Israel fell from 47 percent to just 25 percent. One in five remains undecided.
Overall, 34 percent of Australians said they sympathize more with the Palestinians than with Israel, an increase from the 27 percent who held that view in 2014.
Fewer Australians (26 percent) said they sympathize more with Israelis than with Palestinians.
The poll was conducted by Roy Morgan Research, Australia’s oldest polling firm, on behalf of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network and a coalition of groups supporting Palestinian rights. Morgan has conducted regular polls on Australian attitudes on Palestine since 2009.
By a large margin, Australians oppose Israel’s construction of settlements on occupied Palestinian land: 61 percent are against the settlements, while 17 percent support them.
More than half of respondents disapprove of the Australian government’s rejection of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted in December to demand Israel stop settlement activities, which are illegal under international law.
