Americans remain divided over U.S. involvement in the Israel–Hamas war as the conflict enters its fourth month, a poll shows.
Results show the partisan divisions among the U.S. public’s views on the war, as 26 percent of Republicans say that the United States is doing too much to resolve the conflict, while 11 percent of Democrats say so. Both Republicans and Democrats express equal dissatisfaction, with 40 percent from each side stating that Washington “is not doing enough.” However, more Democrats say that U.S. involvement in the conflict is about right—48 percent compared with 33 percent among Republicans.
Israel is a longtime U.S. ally and receives billions of dollars in military support annually from Washington. Since the start of the war, the Biden administration has been actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to prevent the conflict from escalating into a broader crisis in the region.
The poll also looks into the level of U.S. support for Israel and the Palestinians. Nearly 4 in 10 Americans—38 percent—think that Washington provides Israel with the right amount of support, while 36 percent say that U.S. support is too much, and 24 percent say that it’s too little. Regarding the Palestinians, 31 percent of Americans think that they get the right level of support, and 33 percent say it’s too little.
The poll revealed that Americans are also divided on the level of U.S. support for Israel and the Palestinians. Forty percent of Democrats think that the United States provides too much support to Israel as compared with 26 percent of Republicans. On the other hand, 37 percent of Republicans believe that U.S. support for Israel is too little, more than double the portion of Democrats, at 15 percent.
The partisan division is more profound regarding support for Palestinians among the U.S. public, as 52 percent of Republicans think that the United States gives too much support to them, while only 14 percent of Democrats share the same view. Meanwhile, 49 percent of Democrats say that U.S. support for Palestinians is too little, as compared to 16 percent among Republicans.
Notably, the poll finds that Americans’ views about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have declined, with an unfavorable rating of 47 percent and a 33 percent favorable rating. The majority of Republicans view him more positively, however, with 55 percent expressing a positive opinion, compared to 14 percent of Democrats.
The poll was conducted Dec. 1–20, two months after the war started and following the end of a weeklong ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group.
According to Gallup: “Republicans, White adults, and college nongraduates are the groups most in favor of increasing military aid to Israel. At the same time, Republicans and White adults are less likely than their counterparts to believe the U.S. should send more humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
“Democrats, young adults, people of color, and women are among the groups most likely to believe the U.S. is not sending enough humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. They are also much more likely to say humanitarian aid to the Palestinians is lacking than to say the U.S. is not sending enough military aid to Israel.”
The poll found that older age groups favored Israel more than younger ones.
In addition, 85 percent of Americans said Hamas’s attack on Israel was intended to provoke war and instability in the Middle East, and 56 percent said the attack indicates widespread anti-Semitism among Palestinians.
Hamas terrorists launched surprise attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and 32 Americans. The attacks led to Israel’s military operation in Gaza to eliminate Hamas.
