Australian Survey Reveals Virulent Anti-Israel Protests Hurting Palestinian Cause

Anti-Israel demonstrators (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft) (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Only 41% of respondents said recent anti-Israel protests were legitimate.

By Shula Rosen

According to an Australian Survey, blockades and other aggressive tactics taken by anti-Israel protesters are causing fewer people to support the Palestinian cause.

The Resolve Political Monitor conducted for Sydney Morning Herald by Resolve Strategic found that 46% of responders said they were less likely to side with the Palestinian camp because of aggressive tactics such as occupying public spaces and other extreme actions taken by activists.

However, there was a significant difference based on age, with 64% of respondents 55 and over saying they were less supportive of the Palestinian cause following recent protests and just 27% of respondents between 18 and 37 agreeing with this.

There was also a wide divergence depending on political party, with 61% of coalition supporters saying they were less likely to be pro-Palestinian, 40% of Labour votes, and 16% of left-wing Green Party voters.

With almost daily anti-Israel rallies on Australian streets, just 41% said they felt these demonstrations were legitimate, and only 14% agreed that occupying buildings was a legitimate form of protest.

Just 10% of responders thought blocking access to and from politicians’ offices was legitimate, 9% agreed with protesting at the home of a politician or a public figure, and just 4% believed damaging property was justified.

The only protest that received the majority support was writing to politicians and signing petitions.

A total of 1607 voters in Australia were interviewed between June 11 and 15, before antisemitic vandals attacked Australian Jewish MP Josh Burns’ office.

Last week, six vandals attacked the office of Jewish MP Josh Burns by igniting fires, smashing glass, painting horns on a photo of the politician and writing “Zionism is fascism” on the office window.

Burns told the media, “I’m nervous about someone getting hurt or worse.”

He added, “What happened outside my office caused distress to my staff, team, and community. It didn’t bring about peace in the Middle East. It just vandalized an office here in Australia and caused distress. No amount of aggression and violence here in Australia is going to change what’s happening in the Middle East.”