Among Democrats in the state, 59 percent said Shapiro’s position on Israel is about right. By Corey Walker, The AlgemeinerPennsylvania voters are broadly comfortable with the pro-Israel positions of two of the state’s most prominent Democratic figures, Gov. Josh Shapiro and US Sen. John Fetterman, according to a new poll that offers a counterpoint to the Democratic Party’s growing divisions over Israel.Nearly half of likely Pennsylvania voters, 47 percent, said Shapiro’s approach to Israel is “about right,” while 43 percent said Fetterman’s outspoken defense of Israel is also “about right,” according to a New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena University poll released on Monday.Just 14 percent said Shapiro is “too supportive” of Israel, compared with 19 percent who said he is “not supportive enough.”For Fetterman, 30 percent said he is too supportive and 6 percent said he is not supportive enough.The findings offer a potentially important political boost for Shapiro, a Jewish Democrat who has maintained a strong commitment to the US-Israel relationship while also criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing governing coalition.Fetterman, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most outspoken defenders of Israel, frequently breaking with members of his own party on the issue.Shapiro, a practicing Jew, has positioned himself as a staunch supporter of Israel.In the days following Hamas’s brutal slaughter of roughly 1,200 people across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Shapiro issued statements condemning the Palestinian terrorist group and gave a speech at a local synagogue.The governor also ordered the US and Pennsylvania Commonwealth flags to fly at half-mast outside the state capitol to honor the victims.Shapiro has continued to argue that the United States should maintain its alliance with Israel and provide security assistance, while also supporting the use of American leverage over how those weapons are used.His position puts him at odds with some progressive Democrats who have increasingly called for restricting or ending US military assistance to Israel.The Pennsylvania numbers suggest that Shapiro’s approach may have broader appeal among voters than the increasingly polarized national debate over Israel might suggest.Among Democrats in the state, 59 percent said Shapiro’s position on Israel is about right.Republicans were more divided: 39 percent agreed that his position was about right, while 40 percent said he was not supportive enough of Israel.Fetterman’s numbers similarly show the durability of his pro-Israel stance among the broader Pennsylvania electorate, although Democrats were considerably more critical of him.Approximately 51 percent of Democratic voters surveyed said he was too supportive of Israel.His position has nevertheless made him considerably more popular among Republicans, according to the poll, as he has continued to criticize members of his own party whom he believes have moved too far to the left politically.Following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, Fetterman has emerged as one of the most vocal supporters of the Jewish state in the US Congress.The senator has repeatedly expressed disappointment and disillusionment with the Democratic Party’s increasingly hostile position on Israel, reaffirming his support of the Jewish state’s right to self-defense.The poll also revealed a significant generational divide.Forty percent of voters under 30 said Shapiro is too supportive of Israel, a sign that younger voters remain substantially more skeptical of the US-Israel relationship than older generations.Still, the overall findings point to a political middle ground in Pennsylvania. Shapiro’s support for Israel has not prevented him from maintaining broad appeal in a state that is likely to remain central to Democratic presidential politics.That could become increasingly significant if Shapiro pursues a presidential campaign in 2028.The governor has increasingly tested a message aimed at Democratic voters on Israel, including emphasizing that recognition of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state should be a basic starting point for the party’s debate over the conflict.The poll comes as Democrats continue to wrestle with a widening debate over Israel. While some activists and lawmakers have pushed for a dramatic reduction in US support, Shapiro has resisted abandoning the longstanding US-Israel alliance.For Shapiro, the Pennsylvania results offer evidence that maintaining a pro-Israel position does not necessarily carry the political liability that some on the Democratic left have predicted — particularly in a battleground state where general-election voters can be more moderate than the party’s most activist constituencies.The poll surveyed 760 likely Pennsylvania voters from Aug. 17-21. Shapiro also held a 16-point advantage over Republican gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity in the survey, underscoring his broader political strength in the state.The findings could suggest that Shapiro, widely considered a 2028 contender for the Democratic nomination, might not have to abandon support of Israel if he were to launch a presidential campaign.The post Pennsylvania voters approve of Shapiro, Fetterman pro-Israel stances, poll shows appeared first on World Israel News.