Arabic version: انخفاض الدعم الأمريكي لإسرائيل، استطلاع يكشف عن تحول في التعاطف
Support for Israel among United States citizens has dramatically decreased, according to a new Gallup poll, marking an unprecedented shift in decades of overwhelming, unconditional backing for Israel. The report indicates that 41 percent of Americans now say they sympathise more with Palestinians, while 36 percent remain more favourable to the Israelis. This contrasts sharply with pre-October 2023 sentiments, where 54 percent of Americans sympathised more with Israel and 31 percent with Palestine. According to Al Jazeera, the change is particularly notable among independents and younger voters.
Democrats’ sympathies have largely remained unchanged over the past year, with 65 percent now expressing more support for Palestinians, compared to just 17 percent for Israelis. Independents have shifted significantly as well, with 41 percent now favouring Palestinians over 30 percent for Israelis, a reversal from previous years where they typically sided with Israel.
Republican support for Israel remains stronger, with 70 percent expressing sympathy for Israelis, but this figure has dropped by a 10-point record since 2024—the lowest level since 2004. The decline in support has sparked debates within the Republican Party, particularly among far-right factions. Some members, like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have criticized Israel’s influence on U.S. politics.
For the first time since 2001, a majority of U.S. citizens aged 18 to 34 express more sympathy for Palestinians, with only 23 percent favouring Israelis. Sympathy for Israel among this age group has decreased from 45 percent last year to just 28 percent. Conversely, older adults show a majority still favouring Israel, but for the first time since 2005, less than half of those over 55 sympathise more with Israelis.
The poll also examined support for an independent Palestinian state, which remains consistent, with about 60 percent of adults favouring its establishment in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. The shifts in public perception have been attributed to Israel’s response following the October 7 attack, which resulted in significant casualties on both sides. The report notes that while support for Israel has fallen sharply since the war, the decline had begun as early as 2019, reflecting a gradual change in U.S. attitudes.
