If Americans Know So Little, Why Do They Support Israel?

Have you read about the new Pew survey?
From Outside The Beltway:

A new Pew study on the media habits of the American people finds that people who rely on a combination of traditional news sources and the Internet are smarter and more affluent than those who rely on either alone and, not surprisingly, “spend more time with the news on a typical day.”

What’s people’s favorite news topic? The weather, of course, which outpolls its closest competitor, crime, by twenty points.

This sets the stage for a more general, if obvious, finding: most Americans have an interest in news directly in proportion to how it impacts their daily lives:

That being the case, just what percentage of Americans follow what is happening in Israel? Granted that they have a greater interest in the Middle East in general because of the war in Iraq--but how many are really interested in news from Israel?

I wonder, because if less than half of Americans polled know that Condoleezza Rice is the Secretary of State, how much do they really know about what is going on between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs--and if they really are not all that knowledgeable, why do Americans support Israel over the Palestinians by such a wide margin?

If it's not based on knowledge, is it based on "the narrative"?
Did they read 'Exodus' by Leon Uris as a kid?

Whatever the reason, if their support is not based on knowledge of the facts, then American support really is ephemeral. And that is a cause for concern.

Technorati Tag: Israel.