New surveys reveal a significant decline in U.S. public support for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the Gaza conflict approaches its third year, highlighting deep partisan and generational divides.
A pair of comprehensive new surveys from the Pew Research Center and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicate a notable shift in American perceptions of Israel, its leadership, and the ongoing conflict in Gaza. As the war nears its 1,000th day, U.S. public approval of the Israeli government has dropped nearly 20 percentage points since 2022, revealing deep partisan, generational, and religious fractures. While support for the Israeli people has also declined, views of the Palestinian people have remained largely stable, suggesting a growing distinction in the American public’s perception between foreign populations and the political leadership directing military actions.
Recent polling data illustrates a dramatic erosion of domestic support for Israel, reshaping the American political landscape. The latest survey from the Pew Research Center, conducted in early May 2026 and released on July 9, 2026, shows that 62% of U.S. adults now hold an unfavorable view of the Israeli government. This marks a nearly 20-point negative shift from 2022, when only 43% of Americans expressed unfavorable views. Concurrently, an Associated Press-NORC (AP-NORC) poll published on July 7, 2026, reveals that approximately one-third of American adults—including nearly half of Democrats—believe Israel’s military campaign in Gaza constitutes genocide.
The changing public sentiment follows nearly three years of intense military conflict ignited by the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people in Israel and the capture of 251 hostages. In retaliation, Israel’s military offensive has reportedly killed over 73,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, leading to sustained domestic protests and intense theological debates within American religious institutions.
The Pew Research Center data highlights stark divisions within American religious communities, challenging historical assumptions about uniform support for Israel. While Jewish adults remain the group most likely to view the Israeli people positively at 83%, their views on Israel’s current political leadership diverge sharply. Only 47% of American Jewish adults view the Israeli government favorably, while white evangelical Protestants are the only major religious demographic where a majority (57%) holds a favorable view of Israel’s current government.
Support for the Israeli government falls significantly among other religious groups. Only 34% of Catholics express a positive view, while 33% of white non-evangelical Protestants and 30% of Black Protestants share similar sentiments. Among religiously unaffiliated Americans, only 17% express positive views, and just 12% of Muslim Americans hold a favorable opinion of the Israeli government.
The visual representation of these divides was evident earlier this month in Washington, D.C., where around 200 faith-led, pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested near the Museum of the Bible. The demonstrations specifically targeted the annual summit of Christians United for Israel, underscoring how the geopolitical conflict has introduced significant rifts within American religious alliances.
While overall sentiment toward the Israeli government has deteriorated, views regarding the Palestinian people have remained steady. Pew reported that approximately 50% of U.S. adults hold a favorable view of the Palestinian people, nearly identical to the 52% favorability rating currently held by the Israeli people, which represents a 15-point drop for Israelis since 2022.
However, favorability toward Palestinian leadership entities remains highly polarized along religious lines. Only Muslim Americans (78%) and religiously unaffiliated Americans (59%) expressed majority favorable views of the Palestinian people. Furthermore, 50% of Muslim Americans voiced a positive view of the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank. In contrast, views on Hamas, which has historically controlled the Gaza Strip, remain overwhelmingly negative across almost all surveyed groups. While 44% of Muslim Americans viewed Hamas favorably—marking a notable seven-point increase from 2024—no other religious demographic expressed majority support. Among Jewish Americans, support for Hamas stood at a mere 2%, while white evangelical Protestants recorded only 4% favorability.
The AP-NORC poll further explored public perception regarding the specific accusation of “genocide,” a term heavily contested by legal scholars, international organizations, and the U.S. government. The poll found that 31% of all U.S. adults believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Among Democrats, that number rises to 52%, representing a significant majority. Conversely, only 13% of Republicans agree with this characterization, while about half of all Americans overall state they do not know enough to decide.
Reflecting this trend, several major religious and academic organizations have recently adjusted their positions. Within the last two weeks, both the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the American Academy of Religion passed resolutions explicitly describing Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.
This shift in sentiment is increasingly translating into policy preferences. The AP-NORC poll found that 58% of Democrats now believe the United States is “too supportive” of Israel, up from 45% in early 2024. This sentiment has even spread to 51% of self-identified Jewish Democrats.
In interviews, some older Americans noted that their perspectives have shifted dramatically over the course of the three-year conflict. Joy Jennik, a 73-year-old retired home economics teacher from Brookfield, Wisconsin, spoke soberly about her evolving stance: “The Gaza Strip, there’s not a lot left of it. Those poor people are barely living,” Jennik said, noting that she had no strong opinions on U.S.-Israel relations prior to the October 7 attacks but now believes Israel’s actions constitute genocide.
The polling highlights that American Jewish communities are far from a monolith, displaying significant internal debate and generational divides. According to the AP-NORC data, 30% of Jewish adults believe Israel has committed genocide, compared to 49% who say it has not. Furthermore, 55% of Jewish adults reported feeling personally offended by comments made about Israel since the October 7 attacks, and 30% reported that they have stopped speaking to someone entirely due to disagreements over the war.
Perhaps the most consistent area of alignment across demographics is the broad unpopularity of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Nationally, only 20% of U.S. adults view the prime minister favorably, while 38% view him unfavorably. Notably, American Jewish adults are especially critical of Netanyahu: approximately 6 in 10 view him very or somewhat unfavorably. This unfavorable rating among Jewish Americans is higher than that of Democrats as a whole (54%) and independents (33%). Netanyahu maintains positive net favorability only among Republicans, with 38% viewing him favorably compared to 23% who view him unfavorably.
As the war continues with no clear diplomatic resolution, these shifting numbers suggest that the historically solid, bipartisan foundation of U.S. support for Israel is facing its most profound domestic challenge in decades, according to Source Name.