POLL: U.S. support for Israel drops to lowest level in decades amid Gaza War
For the first time in over two decades, 53 percent of Americans hold an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 42 percent in 2022, driven by the Gaza conflict and high Palestinian casualties.
Republican support for Israel has declined (64 percent favorable, down from 71 percent), with younger Republicans (under 50) evenly split. Meanwhile, 69 percent of Democrats now disapprove of Israel, a sharp rise from 53 percent in 2022.
Younger Americans, especially Democrats, increasingly side with Palestinians, while only White evangelicals (72 percent) remain strongly pro-Israel. Jewish American support has also dipped (73 percent favorable) due to Gaza and Israeli domestic politics.
Only 52 percent of Americans (including 53 percent of Jews) trust Netanyahu’s leadership, reflecting waning confidence amid U.S.-Israel tensions. 62 percent oppose U.S. involvement in Gaza’s governance, with just 15 percent in favor.
A majority (54 percent) believe a two-state solution is no longer feasible, though 46 percent remain hopeful. On U.S. policy, 31 percent say Trump overly favors Israel, while three percent think he supports Palestinians too much.
The survey, released on April 8, found that 53 percent of Americans now view Israel negatively, a sharp rise from 42 percent in March 2022 – before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel and the subsequent bombardment of Gaza, which has killed over 28,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. (Related: Poll: More than half of Americans oppose deploying troops to ISRAEL.)
Republicans remain more supportive of Israel (64 percent favorable), but their backing has slipped significantly from 71 percent in previous years. Notably, 37 percent of Republicans now express negative views – a 10-point jump since 2022.
The shift is especially pronounced among younger Republicans (under 50), with half now viewing Israel unfavorably – a shift experts attribute to rising dissent in conservative media from figures like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens.
Among Democrats, disapproval has surged to 69 percent, up from 53 percent in 2022. A majority of Americans, except Republicans aged 18-49, say Israel’s war in Gaza is “personally important” to them and U.S. interests.
Religiously and ethnically, support for Israel has also weakened in some areas. Jewish Americans, though traditionally pro-Israel (73 percent still view it favorably), have seen declining approval due to Israel’s domestic political turmoil and the Gaza conflict. White evangelicals remain Israel’s strongest U.S. backers (72 percent favorable), while majorities of White Protestants (50 percent) and Catholics (53 percent) now hold unfavorable opinions. Muslim Americans are the most critical, with 81 percent viewing Israel negatively – a response to the high Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza.
“What younger voters are seeing happening in Gaza – and they have been seeing it for some time now – they don’t want to be associated with that,” he added. “It’s not just something that they don’t want to be associated with as Republicans, but something that they don’t want to be associated with as Americans.”
Survey reveals Netanyahu’s waning credibility
The survey was conducted on March 24 to 30 among 3,605 Americans as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington amid strained U.S.-Israel ties and it clearly implies Netanyahu’s waning credibility and Americans’ opposition in the taking over of Gaza. For instance, based on the results, just 52 percent of Americans, including 53 percent of Jewish respondents, said they had little to no confidence in Netanyahu’s leadership on global affairs.
In line with his, the poll shows that 62 percent of the respondents oppose the U.S. “taking over Gaza,” a floated policy from President Donald Trump, which only 15 percent support. More than half of Americans (54 percent) believe a two-state solution is no longer feasible, though 46 percent still hold hope for peaceful coexistence.
On U.S. policy, 31 percent think Trump favors Israel too much, 29 percent say he’s balanced, and only three percent believe he supports Palestinians too much.
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