Poll: Most Americans disapprove of Israel’s military action in Gaza
Gallup survey indicates majority of Republicans still back the war, though their numbers have dropped since November
Most Americans no longer approve of Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, according to a new survey from Gallup, in a downward trend for Israel compared to a November poll.
The new survey showed that while half of Americans approved of the military campaign and 45% disapproved in November, now 55% disapprove and only 36% approve.
The poll was published on Wednesday, only two days after the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the war. While the US has previously vetoed such resolutions, this time it abstained, allowing it to pass and heightening tensions with Israel. Gallup noted that the poll was conducted and completed before the UN resolution passed.
Among the three major US political affiliations — Democrat, Republican, and independent — Republican voters are the only group where a majority still approves of the war in Gaza, though the numbers have dropped there as well, from 71% in November to 64% in March.
The approval percentages among Democrats and independents have also dropped since November — from 36% to 18% among the former and from 47% to 29% with the latter.
As well as disapproving of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, Democrats were also found to disapprove of US President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with approval ratings for the issue at only 27%. His scores among Democrats on the economy, environment, energy policy, and global foreign affairs were all at over 66%.
Still, Biden’s overall approval rating rose in March to 40% from 37% in November.
The Gallup survey was published on the heels of a poll from Harvard-Harris that indicated support for Israel among Americans remains robust, with 79% saying they back the Jewish state over Hamas. Two-thirds of respondents in that poll also said they believe Israel is trying to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza, while 63% backed a ceasefire “only after the release of all hostages and [with] Hamas removed from power.”
A survey from the Pew Research Center published on March 21 found that a majority (58%) of Americans believe that Israel’s reasons for fighting Hamas are valid, but only four in 10 US adults said Israel’s prosecution of the war has been acceptable.
The Pew survey, which polled more than 12,500 Americans in February with a 1.5 percent margin of error, also found that 22% of respondents said Hamas’s reasons for fighting Israel were valid, while just 5% said Hamas’s October 7 assault on southern Israel was acceptable.
On October 7, thousands of Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel, killing close to 1,200 people and taking another 253 hostage, about half of whom remain in Gaza. In the ensuing war, more than 31,800 Palestinians have been killed, according to unverified figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry that include both civilians and combatants; 253 Israeli soldiers have been killed fighting in the Strip.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
