Amid growing calls in Washington to condition aid to Israel and oppose the Israeli government’s proposed annexation of portions of the West Bank, two-thirds of Democratic voters consider themselves to be pro-Israel, according to a new poll shared with Jewish Insider on Sunday.

The poll of 1,000 registered voters — conducted from July 8-13 by pollster Mark Mellman on behalf of his organization, Democratic Majority for Israel — indicated that 67% of voters describe themselves as pro-Israel, including 68% of those who identify as Democrats. Similarly, 66% of voters — including 63% of Democrats — want to see the level of security assistance to Israel remain steady or increase. 

Forty percent of those polled identified as Democrats, while Republicans made up 34 percent of those sampled and independents and individuals not aligned with any party comprised the remaining 26 percent. The poll, conducted via landline, cell and text-to-online, has a ±3.1% margin of error.

Ahead of the Democratic National Committee’s platform committee vote on the 2020 platform on July 27, the poll found that 71% of Democrats prefer the platform reflect the language adopted in 2016. 

Last week, the drafting committee voted unanimously to approve the platform’s Israel plank, which includes language expressing support for the U.S.-Israel alliance, a commitment to security funding for Israel and support for the two-state solution “that ensures Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state with recognized borders and upholds the right of Palestinians to live in freedom and security in a viable state of their own.” The platform also notes opposition to “unilateral steps by either side — including annexation — that undermine prospects for two states” and opposition to “settlement expansion.”

According to DMFI, the poll found that only 29% of Democrats want to change the language in the platform to be “more pro-Palestinian.”

The polling memo was shared with the 15 members of the platform drafting committee ahead of last week’s vote, a DMFI official told JI. 

Overall, the poll found that 57% of Democratic voters — compared to 62% of all voters — have a favorable view of Israel, while 25% have an unfavorable attitude towards the Jewish state. 

The Mellman Group also said it sampled 439 registered voters in 15 battleground states, including Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, as well as Arizona, Texas and Georgia. Among voters in battleground states, 62% have a favorable view of Israel, 68% oppose reducing aid to Israel and 72% want a party platform that is supportive of Israel.

“Democrats want a platform that is at least as pro-Israel as our 2016 language, and so do the swing voters who’ll help decide this election,” Mellman told JI. Mellman added that based on the poll numbers, the Democratic party “should make every effort — starting with the platform — to communicate its pro-Israel positions to voters in the coming months.”