The Impact of Demography and Binary Ideology on Views towards Israel

The Muslim population in Western countries, such as Germany and France, is growing and changing. In Germany, there is a shift from a predominantly Turkish population to people with roots in Syria, Iraq, and historically anti-Israel areas. France, on the other hand, has the largest Muslim and Jewish populations in Western Europe, with its own history of Islamist terrorism and conflicting views on America and French colonialism. In the US, younger generations are less supportive of Israel and more sympathetic to the Palestinians, due in part to a binary ideology emerging from American universities. This ideology simplifies complex issues and grants virtue to those who pick the perceived 'right' side. The gap in sympathy between generations in the US is widening, as this ideology gains popularity.