... Public opinion polls suggest that a significant majority of American voters have a favorable view of Israel, and, in fact, view the Israeli more favorably than they do the Palestinian people. In the latest Gallup poll, 63 percent of respondents indicated that they had a favorable view of Israelis, while only 15 percent express even minimal support for the Palestinians.
Since 63 percent of Americans are certainly not Jewish, there is another factor-Americans of all races, religions, and political affiliations support Israel because of Israel's shared democratic, liberal values and its demonstrated support for the Unite d States, particularly in the fight against Islamist terror.
In terms of political liberties, it suffices to say that Israel is the only democratic state in the Middle East. The highly respected Freedom in the World Report-an annual ranking of the degree to which civil and political rights are protected in different nations-produced by the nongovernmental organization Freedom House-acknowledges Israel as the only "free" nation and "electoral democracy" in the entire Middle East. No such sort of functioning democracy would be possible in the authoritarian regimes of Iran, Hamas-controlled Gaza, Syria or even in the American-allied nation of Saudi Arabia.
Americans identify with Israel's democratic values and respect for freedom of the press and freedom of speech, among other essential civil liberties. As Vice President Joseph Biden made clear in a May 2009 speech, the US and Israel share an "unyielding commitment to democracy," which-above all else-motivates the American-Israeli alliance. American foreign policy is committed to maintaining the free democracies of the world, and Israel, without a doubt, qualifies as a liberal democratic state deserving of American support for this reason alone.
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