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Who's the Bigger Friend of Israel — And Do Voters Really Care?

President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney scrambled to outdo each other in avowing support for Israel during Monday's debate, but Shibley Telhami writes that it's not at all clear how much American voters care.  
U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and U.S. President Barack Obama walk away at the end of the final U.S. presidential debate in Boca Raton, Florida, October 22, 2012. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS USA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION)

One of the striking aspects of the third presidential debate was the frequent mention of Israel (34 times). Western Europe and the challenges facing the European Union, or Mexico and Latin America hardly registered. It is as if the Israel issue is a burning one in American politics, or that the American public is dying to see which candidate supports Israel more. Neither is close to the truth.

Even aside from the fact that Americans are not much focused on foreign policy in any case in determining their electoral choices, the Israel issue is often misunderstood. For years now, polls indicate that when Americans are asked if they want the United States to lean toward Israel, toward the Palestinians, or toward neither side, about two thirds consistently choose neither side. Roughly one quarter to one third want the US to take sides, and among those, Israel is favored over the Palestinians by a strong ratio, ranging from 3-to-1 to 5-to-1. But something happened over the past decade in public attitudes toward Israel: America has become far more polarized than ever before. 

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