Poll Shows Declining US Sympathy for Israelis, Growing Support for Palestinians
Fewer Americans sympathize with Israelis over Palestinians than at any point in at least 25 years, according to a Gallup poll published Thursday. The survey, conducted in February, found that 46% of respondents sympathize more with Israelis, while 33% favor Palestinians. The 13-point gap is the smallest recorded since at least 2001, when 51% sided with Israelis and only 16% with Palestinians.
The shift is particularly stark among Democrats, who now sympathize with Palestinians by a nearly three-to-one margin—59% to 21%. In 2022, the split was roughly even at 40% for Israelis and 38% for Palestinians. Republican sentiment remains largely unchanged, with 75% sympathizing with Israelis and 10% with Palestinians. Among independents, the divide is narrower at 42% to 34%.
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The poll also found that 55% of Americans—majorities of Democrats and independents and 41% of Republicans—support the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. Support for a two-state solution has remained relatively stable since 2020.
In 2020, President Donald Trump announced a plan for a “realistic” two-state solution, but in an interview with Time Magazine in December 2024, he declined to explicitly endorse a two-state solution, saying he favored “whatever solution we can do to get peace.” Interest in a two-state solution is particularly low in Israel, where the Knesset voted overwhelmingly to reject the idea of a Palestinian state in July 2024.
Only 40% of the Gallup poll’s respondents approved of how President Trump is handling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The poll was conducted around Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, during which the president proposed that the US take over Gaza and relocate the Palestinians from the enclave—a plan Netanyahu endorsed.
