ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with the attitudes of Americans over time about the Arab-Israeli conflict and its different manifestations. It discusses general longitudinal series about taking a side in the conflict—which side do Americans sympathize with, to whom do they attribute blame for the conflict, and with whom they think the United States should side. The gradual increase in taking a side—sympathizing with Israel or with Arabs and Palestinians—attests to the dominant role of the issue in American politics and can be attributed to the interest in making it into a partisan issue. The Arab-Israeli conflict is a violent conflict in which Israel, Arab countries, militant groups, and individuals have used force. The data span different events that vary by the parties to the conflict, the magnitude of the use of force, the perceived cause of the use of force and the nature of media coverage of the conflict.
