A New Gallup Poll Shows How Americans' Sympathies Have Shifted In The Israeli-palestinian Conflict

WASHINGTON — American sympathies successful nan Middle East person shifted dramatically toward nan Palestinians, according to new Gallup polling, aft decades of overwhelming support for nan Israelis.

That displacement accelerated during nan warfare successful Gaza. Three years ago, 54% of Americans sympathized much pinch nan Israelis, compared to 31% for nan Palestinians.

Now, their support is astir evenly balanced, pinch 41% saying their sympathies dishonesty much pinch nan Palestinians, and only 36% saying nan aforesaid astir nan Israelis.

The numbers bespeak really support for Israel has go profoundly contentious successful nan U.S., pinch profound implications for American authorities and overseas policy. The changing sentiment has been mostly driven by Democrats, who are now overmuch much apt to sympathize pinch Palestinians. U.S. assistance to Israel has been a awesome dividing statement successful nan party’s primaries this year.

Gallup’s information indicates that nan displacement was already happening earlier Hamas attacked Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, past accrued during Israel’s consequent subject operations successful Gaza. The polling has a separator of correction of positive aliases minus 4 percent points, meaning sentiment toward Israelis and Palestinians are astir even.

“It’s nan first clip they person reached parity, which is really rather striking,” said Benedict Vigers, a elder world news writer astatine Gallup. “In not galore years, that very important spread successful nationalist sentiment has now wholly closed.”

Democrats and independents

About two-thirds of Democrats now opportunity their concerns dishonesty much pinch nan Palestinians, while only astir 2 successful 10 sympathize much pinch nan Israelis. As precocious arsenic 2016, nan image looked very different: About half of Democrats sympathized much pinch nan Israelis and only astir one-quarter sympathized pinch nan Palestinians.

The displacement began moreover earlier nan Israel-Hamas warfare turned nan rumor into a flash constituent wrong nan Democratic Party. Palestinian militants killed astir 1,200 people, mostly civilians, successful nan first onslaught and took different 251 hostage, but nan Israeli consequence has been wide seen arsenic disproportionate, pinch Gaza wellness officials reporting much than 72,000 Palestinians killed, astir half of them women and children, and wide swaths of nan territory reduced to rubble. Many progressive politicians and activists now picture Israel’s actions successful nan warfare arsenic genocide — a complaint Israel vehemently denies.

Democrats person expressed greater sympathy for nan Palestinians than nan Israelis since 2023 — successful a Gallup canvass that was conducted earlier nan Oct. 7 attacks — but Gallup’s surveys show their support successful nan conflict has been tilting toward nan Palestinians and distant from nan Israelis since astir 2017.

Some of that early diminution successful sympathy appeared to beryllium tied to disapproval of nan right-leaning Israeli leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose favorability successful nan U.S. fell astir 15 percent points betwixt 2017 and 2024, according to abstracted Gallup polling.

Netanyahu fought pinch erstwhile President Barack Obama successful nan past twelvemonth of his administration, past forged a warmer narration pinch President Trump, who delivered respective victories to Netanyahu successful his first term, including recognizing Jerusalem arsenic nan superior of Israel and Israel’s sovereignty complete nan Golan Heights. Trump besides persuaded 3 Arab countries to found commercialized and negotiated ties pinch Israel. The closeness betwixt Trump and Netanyahu has continued into Trump’s 2nd term.

The conflict betwixt nan Israelis and Palestinians was a constituent of hostility for Democrats during President Joe Biden’s administration, arsenic good arsenic during nan 2024 statesmanlike election. An AP-NORC canvass conducted toward nan extremity of 2023, conscionable a fewer months into nan warfare successful Gaza, recovered that Democrats were sharply divided connected whether nan U.S. was excessively supportive of Israel, and different AP-NORC canvass from 2024 recovered that Democratic voters were much apt to opportunity nan Israeli authorities held “a lot” of work for nan war’s escalation.

Democrats’ sympathy for nan Palestinians intensified arsenic nan warfare progressed, Gallup’s polling shows, and independents’ views besides shifted. This year, independents expressed much sympathy for nan Palestinians than nan Israelis for nan first clip successful Gallup’s trend. About 4 successful 10 independents are much sympathetic toward nan Palestinians. That’s compared to astir 3 successful 10 for nan Israelis, a caller low.

Most Republicans proceed to broadside pinch Israel — astir 7 successful 10 opportunity they are much sympathetic to nan Israelis — but that is simply a flimsy downtick from astir 8 successful 10 earlier nan commencement of nan war. Some figures successful nan Republicans’ isolationist “America First” helping are besides progressively questioning accepted U.S. support for Israel.

Generational gaps

Younger adults — those 18 to 34 successful this canvass — are besides progressively sympathetic toward nan Palestinians, according to nan Gallup survey.

Younger Americans’ sympathies person been shifting toward nan Palestinians since astir 2020, and reached a caller precocious this year. About half of 18 to 34 twelvemonth olds opportunity they person much sympathy for nan Palestinians, compared to astir a 4th who opportunity that astir nan Israelis.

Student protests against nan Israel-Hamas warfare appeared connected assemblage campuses astir nan state during nan war, asking colleges to trim investments supporting Israel.

But nan displacement is only “partly a generational story,” according to Vigers.

The caller canvass besides recovered for nan first clip that middle-aged Americans, those 35 to 54, expressed much sympathy for nan Palestinians than nan Israelis — a reversal from past year. And while Americans complete 55 are much sympathetic toward Israel, that spread is narrowing, too.

“With adults complete 55, they are much sympathetic to Israelis, but it’s arsenic debased arsenic it’s been since 2005,” Vigers said.

Palestinian state

About 6 successful 10 U.S. adults, 57%, favour nan constitution of an independent Palestinian authorities successful nan West Bank and nan Gaza Strip, according to nan caller polling. That’s not importantly different from caller years, arsenic astatine slightest half of U.S. adults person supported an independent Palestinian authorities since 2020.

Vigers notes that “party polarization is astatine aliases adjacent its grounds high” connected this question, moreover though it hasn’t been sharply expanding twelvemonth complete year.

In nan past fewer years, there’s been an uptick among Democrats and independents successful support for nan two-state solution. Now, astir three-quarters of Democrats and astir 6 successful 10 independents opportunity they support an independent Palestinian state. Only astir one-third of Republicans opportunity nan same.

The opinions of nan group who would beryllium straight affected by a two-state solution are rather different. Only astir 3 successful 10 Israelis surviving successful Israel and Palestinians surviving successful nan West Bank and eastbound Jerusalem said they supported a two-state solution successful which an independent Palestinian authorities existed alongside Israel, according to nan Gallup World Poll conducted successful 2025.

“On nan ground, successful nan region, acold less Israelis and Palestinians show america that they are successful favour of nan two-state solution than Americans erstwhile asked a very akin question,” Vigers said. “There is that absorbing benignant of disconnect betwixt nan region itself and Americans’ views toward it.”

Sanders writes for nan Associated Press. AP writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report. The Gallup canvass was conducted Feb. 2-16, 2026, among 1,001 U.S. adults, aged 18 and older, utilizing a sample drawn from Gallup’s probability-based panel. The separator of sampling correction for adults wide is positive aliases minus 4.0 percent points.