53% of Americans now hold unfavorable views of Israel: Study

A majority of Americans now hold a negative view of Israel, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center. The poll found that 53% of US citizens express unfavorable opinions about Israel, marking a significant shift in public sentiment.

The results were reported by the Middle East Eye, which noted that this marks a sharp increase from a 2022 Pew survey, where only 42% of respondents held unfavorable views of Israel.

The shift in opinion comes in the wake of Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people. In response, Israeli forces began a sustained military operation in Gaza that continues to this day. Over the past year and a half, Israeli attacks have killed more than 51,000 Palestinians, according to reports.

Public opinion in the US has become increasingly critical of Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war. The Pew survey highlights that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to hold negative views of Israel. In the latest poll, 69% of Democrats and 37% of Republicans expressed unfavorable opinions. In contrast, only 27% of Republicans held such views in 2022.

Among younger Republicans (under the age of 50), disapproval of Israel has also risen. Nearly 50% of younger Republicans now say they have a negative view of Israel.

Negative sentiment has also grown within the Democratic base. In the most recent survey, 69% of Democrats reported having an unfavorable view of Israel—an increase of 16 percentage points compared to 2022.

The survey also found that, aside from Republicans aged 18 to 49, most age groups in the U.S. believe Israel's actions in Gaza are not aligned with American interests.

This growing distance between American Jews and the Israeli government has been noticeable in recent years, particularly following tensions between Israel's ruling coalition and its Supreme Court. Since the onset of the Gaza war, this divide has deepened further.