America's slipping sympathy for Israel
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For the first time in 25 years of Gallup polling, more Americans say they sympathize with Palestinians than with Israelis — a striking shift in U.S. public opinion.
Why it matters: The reversal reflects a dramatic shift in attitudes toward Israel — a key U.S. ally — after its war with Hamas triggered a humanitarian crisis and reshaped the Middle East.
Context: The difference — 41% who sympathize more with the Palestinians versus 36% for the Israelis — is not statistically significant, Gallup notes.
- But the trend over the last year shows how suddenly U.S. public opinion has soured on Israel — slipping 10 percentage points in 12 months.
- At the same time, Israel's favorable rating has declined to near its historical low in Gallup's polling.
Zoom in: The shift in sympathies is largely driven by political independents, who reported more pro-Israel views in past-Gallup polling.
- Those surveyed now say they sympathize with Palestinians over Israelis 41% to 30%.
Worth noting: Seven in 10 Republicans still say they sympathize more with the Israelis.
- And overall, Americans still have a more positive view of Israel (46% view it favorably) than of the Palestinian Territories (37%).
The big picture: Since last year's polling, a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire was struck and is now in its second phase. However, deadly Israeli strikes have continued.
- Nearly the entire population of Gaza was displaced by the war, leaving hundreds of thousands exposed to the elements, according to the United Nations.
- Any hope for lasting peace depends on Hamas giving up its weapons and Israel pulling its troops back rather than trying to disarm Hamas by force, Axios' Barak Ravid reported in January.
Methodology: The survey of 1,001 U.S. adults was conducted between Feb. 2-16 and has a margin of error of ±4 percentage points.
Go deeper: U.S. support for Israeli military action in Gaza keeps falling: Gallup
