Australians overwhelmingly back sanctions on Israel, new poll finds
'Sizeable majority' of voters across political lines want Israel to end genocide in Gaza
Australians overwhelmingly recognise and oppose the genocide in Gaza and want the government to do more to stop it, according to a new poll released today.
The YouGov poll, commissioned by the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) and conducted in September, found 58% of respondents agreed with the statement ‘there is a genocide happening in Gaza’, while just 15% disagreed. A clear majority, 69% of respondents, agreed that Israel should stop its attack on Gaza, while 56% agreed that Israel is deliberately using starvation as a weapon of war in the Gaza Strip.
APAN president Nasser Mashni said the poll’s findings showed that “people in Australia are way out ahead of its leaders”.
“Australians have spent the past two years bombarded with Israeli horrors on their handsets,” Mashni said. “They can see Israel is conducting a genocide, they want strong sanctions on Israel and think people should have the freedom to stand with Palestine. Australians are disgusted by the livestreamed genocide and our government’s failure to act.”
Independent senator Fatima Payman told Deepcut she was “completely unsurprised” by the findings.
“It shouldn’t have to take surveys and polling to empower the government to do good, but I am hopeful they will finally listen and implement the sanctions and end the trade of arms, given that’s what the community wants,” Payman said.
“It’s also good to see that a sizeable majority of Australians see what’s happening in Gaza for what it is: a genocide.”
In September, a UN Commission of Inquiry found that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide. The findings concurred with earlier determinations by dozens of Palestinian, Israeli and international genocide scholars and human rights organisations.
The office of foreign minister Penny Wong did not respond to questions on whether Australia would act on the poll’s findings, including by beginning to use the word ‘genocide’ to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Australians back sanctions on Israel, right to protest
The poll found strong public support for firmer government action against the Israeli government and military, with 57% supporting Russia-style sanctions against Israel.
A majority, 58%, also wanted an end to all Australia-Israel arms trading, and 53% agreed that Australia should stop trade with corporations profiting off the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. A recent Deepcut investigation revealed that Australia’s sovereign wealth fund had increased its holdings in weapons companies involved in the Gaza genocide.
Mohamed Duar, Amnesty International’s spokesperson for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, told Deepcut the poll placed more pressure on the government to end Australia’s continued shipments of F-35 fighter parts to Israel.
“Australians are demanding that the government not risk complicity in Israel’s war crimes, especially following confirmation of Australia’s role in supplying F-35 components to Israel,” Duar said.
“The call is clear: Australia must demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, impose a two-way arms embargo and act to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Most Australians, 56%, also agreed that ‘Australians should have the freedom to peacefully oppose Israel’s actions in Gaza without being attacked or penalised’.
Deepcut sought comment from pro-Israel advocacy groups such as the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and the Zionist Federation of Australia – neither responded to questions.
Support for Palestine crosses political groups
Opposition to the genocide and support for stronger measures against Israel was widespread across all age groups and genders, and present across the political divide. Women were slightly more likely to respond positively to the poll’s questions than men, while younger voters expressed the strongest opposition to Israel of any age cohort.
While Greens and Labor voters were the most likely to agree that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide, 46% of Coalition voters, 70% of independent voters and 41% of undecided voters also agreed. Despite the Coalition’s staunch support of Israel during the genocide, a sizeable number of Coalition voters also backed sanctions (46%) and agreed that Israel is deliberately starving Gazans (41%).
There was unanimous support across political groups for Israel ending its attack on Gaza, including 42% of One Nation voters, who responded negatively to most of the survey’s questions.