3 weeks ago
Americans Falling Out of Love With Israel, Polls Show
For a very long time, most people in America liked and supported the country of Israel.
Now, new surveys show that more Americans support the Palestinian people than Israel for the first time ever.
Older Americans still support Israel more than younger Americans do.
The change is biggest among people between 18 and 34 years old.
Many people's feelings changed after a war started in a place called Gaza.
In 2023, a group named Hamas attacked Israel and many people were hurt.
Israel fought back with big attacks that hurt many Palestinians too.
People saw the war on their phones and social media, which made them sad and angry.
Because of this, some American politicians are now questioning the country's support for Israel.
Gallup found that for the first time, more Americans sympathize with Palestinians (41%) than with Israelis (38%).
A generational divide has emerged: 53% of Americans aged 18-34 sympathize with Palestinians versus 23% with Israelis, a record low for Israel support in that age group.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani threatened to arrest Israel's prime minister over an ICC warrant, then backed off, saying the city had no legal authority.
In Michigan's Democratic primary, Abdul El-Sayed defeated pro-Israel incumbent Haley Stevens, who was backed by more than $31 million from AIPAC.
Israel's response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities, sharpening the shift in American opinion.
- Who
- American voters, polling organizations including Gallup, Pew Research Center and YouGov, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Michigan primary candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
- What
- For the first time, more Americans sympathize with Palestinians (41%) than with Israelis (38%), reflecting record-low support for Israel and a deep generational divide.
- Where
- The United States, with particular attention to New York City and Michigan; the underlying events concern Gaza and Israel.
- When
- Earlier this year (2026) for the Gallup poll and July 2026 for the YouGov poll, following events dating from May 1948 through the October 7, 2023 attack and its aftermath.
- Why
- Younger Americans came of age during Israel's occupation and the prolonged conflict, while older Americans' views were shaped by the Holocaust and Israel's early wars; social media coverage of the Gaza war accelerated the shift.
Critics of U.S.-Israel policy
Backers of Israel
The U.S.-Israel relationship
Critics of U.S.-Israel policy
Israel's Gaza campaign amounts to collective punishment and drags the United States into foreign wars that consume resources needed at home — an argument now echoed by figures like Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Backers of Israel
Israel has long been seen as a force for good and a beleaguered nation deserving of the largest U.S. economic and military assistance in the world, a view held by a majority of older Americans.
Mayor's arrest threat against Israel's prime minister
Critics of U.S.-Israel policy
The threat was justified by an International Criminal Court warrant issued in 2024 on charges of war crimes in Gaza, and 49% of Americans polled supported it.
Backers of Israel
New York City had no legal authority to execute the arrest, which is why Mayor Mamdani backed off the threat.
Roots of the generational divide
Critics of U.S.-Israel policy
Younger Americans came of age during Israel's occupation, the failed two-state peace process, and comparisons to South Africa's apartheid, leading 53% of 18-34 year-olds to side with Palestinians.
Backers of Israel
Older Americans' support for Israel is rooted in memories of the Holocaust and Israel's survival of the 1967 and 1973 wars, when figures like Moshe Dayan became heroes.
Key facts
- Gallup poll result
- 41% sympathize with Palestinians vs 38% with Israelis – first time Palestinians led
- Adults aged 18-34
- 53% sympathize with Palestinians vs 23% with Israelis
- Adults aged 55+
- 49% favor Israel vs 31% Palestinians; less than half for the first time in decades
- YouGov poll on arrest threat
- 49% of Americans support NYC mayor's threat (68% Democrats, 55% Independents, 24% Republicans)
- October 7, 2023 attack
- 1,200 killed and about 250 taken hostage by Hamas
- Palestinian deaths in Gaza
- More than 73,000, according to local health authorities
- AIPAC funding to Haley Stevens
- Over $31 million of her campaign war chest
- U.S. recognition of Israel
- President Harry Truman, May 14, 1948, 11 minutes after the proclamation in Tel Aviv
Sources
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