Astriking generation gap in the western world has been revealed by the responses to the 7 October atrocities in Israel. Noting in these pages the surge in pro-Palestinian sentiment among young people on both sides of the Atlantic, my old friend Douglas Murray worries that ‘When it comes to Palestine, the kids aren’t all right’.
Murray is correct to say that something has changed. He is also correct that it is mainly a phenomenon in the English-speaking world. In the UK and the US, young people are far less well-disposed towards Israel than a decade ago.
The Daily Express condemned ‘the woozy-minded communists and sexual indeterminates of Oxford’
According to opinion polls, 42 per cent of Britons aged 18 to 24 say they sympathise more with the Palestinians in the current conflict, compared with just 7 per cent who support Israel. For those aged 65 and over, the proportions are roughly reversed. YouGov data from ten years ago confirms that there has been a swing towards Palestine.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in