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Americans, Especially Democrats, Becoming Less Sympathetic to Israel, Poll Finds
People walk at a square where Israeli flags are displayed, amid the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 16, 2024. Photo: Reuters/Ricardo Moraes
American sympathies regarding the Middle East are sharply shifting against Israel, according to a new Gallup poll.
The poll, which collected responses from Feb. 3-16 and released its findings on Thursday, found that 46 percent of Americans sympathize with Israelis and 33 percent sympathize with Palestinians, reflecting the lowest level of support for the Jewish state in the 25 years of the survey’s existence. The Jewish state’s previous low-point in the poll stood at 51 percent in 2001.
Moreover, American sympathy toward Palestinians has steadily climbed over the past decade. In 2015, only 15 percent of Americans expressed sympathy with Palestinians over Israelis. By 2023, that number increased to 27 percent.
Democrats and Republicans also hold widely disparate views on Israel and the Palestinians, according to the poll. Approximately 83 percent of Republicans and 33 percent of Democrats currently have a “favorable” view of Israel, representing a staggering 50-point partisan gap. Though Republican support for Israel has largely remained stable since the start of the ongoing war in Gaza, Democratic support for the Jewish state has collapsed in recent years, dropping 20 points between 2022 and 2025.
This is the first year that the majority of either major political party expressed an “unfavorable” view of Israel, with 60 percent of Democrats indicating a negative opinion of the Jewish state. In addition, 40 percent of self-described independent voters indicated an “unfavorable” view of Israel.
The recent survey by Gallup is the latest indicator that support for Israel is increasingly fragmenting along partisan lines. An Economist/YouGov survey from last month found that 35 percent of Democrats indicate their sympathies “are more with” Palestinians, and only 9 percent say they are more sympathetic toward Israelis. Meanwhile, 32 percent of Democrats responded that their sympathies are “about equal” between both Palestinians and Israelis, and another 24 percent were not sure. That same poll revealed that 60 percent of Republicans expressed sympathy with Israelis, while 6 percent expressed more sympathy toward Palestinians.
Shifting views of Israel among the Democratic base have likely influenced liberal lawmakers to stake out more adversarial positions against the Jewish state. Although Democratic politicians have repeatedly reiterated that Israel has a right to “defend itself,” many have raised concerns over the Jewish state’s conduct in the war in Gaza. Many Democrats reportedly exerted private pressure on former US President Joe Biden to adopt a more aggressive stance against Israel and display more public sympathy for the Palestinians.
In November 2024, 17 Democrats voted in favor of implementing a partial arms embargo against Israel. Every Republican senator voted against the attempted embargo. High-profile Democratic lawmakers, such as Jon Ossoff (D-GA), accused Israel of behaving with “reckless disregard” for the lives of Palestinians. Ossoff also lectured Israel to “have mercy on the innocent.” However, some Democrats, such as Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), have expressed unwavering support for Israel and have lambasted their liberal peers for abandoning support for the Jewish state.
The post Americans, Especially Democrats, Becoming Less Sympathetic to Israel, Poll Finds first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Trump Hosts Qatari Prime Minister After Israeli Attack in Doha
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
US President Donald Trump held dinner with the Qatari prime minister in New York on Friday, days after US ally Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar on Tuesday, a strike that risked derailing US-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Trump expressed annoyance about the strike in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought to assure the Qataris that such attacks would not happen again.
Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani were joined by a top Trump adviser, US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended,” Qatar’s deputy chief of mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, said on X.
The White House confirmed the dinner had taken place but offered no details.
The session followed an hour-long meeting that al-Thani had at the White House on Friday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A source briefed on the meeting said they discussed Qatar’s future as a mediator in the region and defense cooperation in the wake of the Israeli strikes against Hamas in Doha.
Trump said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike, which he described as a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.
Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a main mediator in long-running negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and for a post-conflict plan for the territory.
Al-Thani blamed Israel on Tuesday for trying to sabotage chances for peace but said Qatar would not be deterred from its role as mediator.
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Trump Urges NATO Countries to Halt Russian Oil Purchases
US President Donald Trump gestures during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, Aug. 26, 2025. Photo: Jonathan Ernst via Reuters Connect
i24 News – US President Donald Trump issued a letter to NATO nations on Saturday, impressing upon them to stop purchasing Russian oil and impose major sanctions on the regime of Vladimir Putin to end its war in Ukraine.
“I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA. As you know, NATO’S commitment to WIN has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia,” the message read.
“Anyway, I am ready to ‘go’ when you are. Just say when? I believe that this, plus NATO, as a group, placing 50% to 100% TARIFFS ON CHINA, to be fully withdrawn after the WAR with Russia and Ukraine is ended, will also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR. China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful Tariffs will break that grip.”
Trump’s post comes after the recent flight of multiple Russian drones into Poland, widely perceived an escalatory move by Russia as it was entering the airspace of a NATO ally. Poland intercepted the drones, yet Trump played down the severity of the incident and Russia’s motives by saying it “could have been a mistake.”
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Netanyahu Says Getting Rid of Hamas Chiefs in Qatar Would Remove Main Obstacle to Gaza Deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the US Independence Day reception, known as the annual “Fourth of July” celebration, hosted by Newsmax, in Jerusalem, Aug. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that getting rid of Hamas chiefs living in Qatar would remove the main obstacle to releasing all hostages and ending the war in Gaza.
Israel on Tuesday targeted the Hamas leadership in Doha.