The Israel/Hamas peace deal is signed, sealed, and delivered. The last living hostages held by Hamas have been released. The glad-handing and back-slapping are still going on, and let's be fair, a certain amount of glad-handing and back-slapping is deserved. In fact, if there's any fairness in the world at all, President Trump's back should be sore from all the back-slapping he's getting today.
Some of that back-slapping, of the metaphorical kind, if not the physical, is coming from voters. A new Issues & Insights/TIPP poll released Monday shows solid approval from the American people of Trump's handling of this deal.
Knowing the outline of the deal as first presented, I&I/TIPP asked voters: “Do you support or oppose the Trump peace plan for Gaza, which calls for an immediate ceasefire, hostage exchanges, and rebuilding Gaza under international supervision?”
The response was powerful: 59% said they would either support the deal “strongly” (30%) or “somewhat” (29%), while just 18% opposed the deal either “strongly” (9%) or “somewhat”. A large 23% of Americans said they were not sure.
The national online poll was taken from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, with 1.459 adults taking part. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points.
The actual survey, we should note, was taken before any actual deal was signed. This is pure speculation, but it seems that if the same question was asked today, with the deal done, that level of support may well be higher.
As we might expect, there are partisan differences.
There were differences in support when it came to political affiliations, but all of the parties — Democratic Party (46% support, 30% oppose), Republican (78% support, 9% oppose) or independent (53% support, 18% oppose) — showed either a majority or plurality of support.
That means, as presented, it is broadly accepted by all.
Earlier on Monday, RedState's own Katie Jerkovitch noted another poll that rated President Trump's overall performance higher than either Barack Obama or George W. Bush at this point in their second terms. That has to rankle Democrats a little bit, but then, Democrats can use a little rankling every day and twice on Sunday.
Read More: After Historic Peace Deal, New Poll About Trump Is Going to Make Obama Mad
Hot Takes: 'Hell Freezes Over' As Folks on the Left and on the Right Praise Trump for Peace Deal
Back to the I&I/TIPP poll: When it came to excluding Hamas from any role in the governing of Gaza, most agreed they should have no role; even a strong plurality of Democrats agree with not allowing a group of vicious terrorists to have any control over any area, even one as small as Gaza.
That question was followed by a second: “Do you agree or disagree that Hamas should be excluded from any future role in governing Gaza?”
Once again the response was positively lopsided: Overall, 58% of respondents agreed “strongly” (39%) or “somewhat” (19%), while only 14% disagreed “strongly” (6%) or even “somewhat” (8%).
Once more Democrats (47% agree, 23% disagree), Republicans (75% agree, 7% disagree), and indie voters (53% agree, 14% disagree) were broadly in tune on excluding Hamas from any future role in governing Gaza.
Note that independent voters seem to be aligning (slightly) more with the right than the left on this issue.
The final question is an interesting one: Will this deal lead to a Palestinian state?
A plurality of 39% say “yes,” while 20% say “no.” But far more crucial to the debate, the largest share of the voting public — 41% — say “not sure.” That 41% of undecideds will be the political battleground for those who support and those who oppose a Palestinian state going forward.
And:
The breakdown: Conservatives (36% yes, 28% no, 36% not sure), moderates (36% yes, 16% no, 47% not sure), liberals (52% yes, 17% no, 30% not sure).
I'm inclined to agree with the "no" side, here, if for no other reason than that most of the Palestinian population will only consider themselves to have established such a state if Israel has been wiped off the map. These people (and their American useful idiot allies) don't go around shouting "from the river to the sea" for no reason. Now, one could claim that Gaza could be this Palestinian state, along with the West Bank, but we'd have to get the Palestinian people and their largely self-appointed leadership to agree - and to leave Israel alone.
What will be key moving forward is what happens in Gaza next. If Hamas is squeezed out, one way or another, it's possible that the one thing that could save Gaza may be able to take hold: Capitalism. Gaza is, geographically, in a fortuitous location, on the warm waters of the Mediterranean, with miles of lovely beaches. With some Western investment, it could become the next Dubai. That investment could bring jobs, stability, and prosperity to the region, and prosperous people, people who are making money, are rather less likely to go out looking for trouble.
For now, though, the deal is done. President Trump is basking in the approval of the American people and the international community. Now, to see what happens next.
Editor's Note: Donald Trump is America's Peace Time President. Support and follow RedState’s latest reporting on the president's historic trip to the Middle East.
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