U.S. Foreign Policy and Middle East

A new Gallup World Affairs survey finds that, for the first time in 25 years of its polling, slightly more Americans say they sympathize with Palestinians than with Israelis in the Middle East conflict, 41% to 36%, amid deep fallout from Israel’s war in Gaza. Gallup cautions that the 5‑point gap is within the poll’s ±4‑point margin of error, so the difference is not statistically significant, but the direction of change is stark: sympathy for Israelis has dropped 10 points in a year, and Israel’s overall favorability is now near historic lows at 46%. The shift is driven largely by political independents, who now side with Palestinians over Israelis 41% to 30%, while about seven in ten Republicans still sympathize more with Israelis and Americans overall still view Israel more favorably than the Palestinian Territories (37% favorable). The poll was conducted Feb. 2–16 among 1,001 U.S. adults and lands as a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza enters its second phase, Israeli strikes continue, and nearly all of Gaza’s population has been displaced, factors that social‑media debate and other polling show are eroding U.S. support for Israel’s military campaign. The numbers underline a growing generational and partisan split that could reshape how members of Congress and presidential hopefuls talk about aid to Israel, Palestinian rights and the contours of any future peace deal.