One-third of Americans support the movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, as do 40 percent of Britons, states a survey conducted by the Ipsos global market research and public opinion firm, Channel 2 News reported on Monday.
At the same time, a larger number of people – 62 percent of Americans and half of Britons – consider the BDS movement to be a modern form of anti-Semitism.
The poll sampled 1,100 people in the United States on their views about Israel, and a similar poll was conducted in Britain.
The poll implies that the BDS movement, on campuses in particular and elsewhere, is having a real effect on public opinion.
The Democratic Party may now be on the verge of a major fight on the issue too. Last week, U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders appointed three critics of Israel to help draft the party’s platform ahead of the convention in Philadelphia. Hillary Clinton and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz appointed supporters of Israel to the committee drafting the Democratic platform.