Majority In U.S. Disapprove Of Israel's War In Gaza, New Poll Finds

Americans have soured on Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, reflecting shifting attitudes toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as it vows to expand its military campaign deeper south into the Palestinian city of Rafah.

According to a Gallup survey released on Wednesday, 55% of Americans now disapprove of Israel’s actions, while only 36% approve. The drop in support for Israel’s military campaign is evident in all three major party groups, including an 18-point drop in approval among both Democrats and independents and a seven-point decline among Republicans.

In November, after the militant group Hamas launched its deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel and captured dozens of Israeli hostages, Gallup found that 50% of Americans approved of Israeli military actions while 45% disapproved.

The war has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians and over 1,000 Israelis. Large parts of Gaza have been destroyed by Israel’s bombing campaign, and many Palestinians are on the brink of famine.

Tensions between the U.S. and Israel over its approach to Gaza have boiled over in recent weeks. On Monday, Netanyahu canceled a delegation to Washington, D.C., after the U.S. declined to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. U.S. officials have also warned that Israel risks further global isolation if it invades Rafah, where more than a million Gazans have taken refuge in makeshift shelters.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden said he believed that Netanyahu is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” and urged him to “pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken.”