Support for Israel's genocide in besieged Gaza has declined substantially among US adults, with only about one-third approving the war there, according to a new Gallup poll — a drop from the beginning of the war in October 2023, when about half of Americans approved of Israel's military invasion.
The new polling also found that about half of US adults now have an unfavourable view of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the most negative rating he has received since he was first included in Gallup polling in 1997.
The poll was conducted from July 7-21, while reports of starvation in Gaza led to international criticism of Israel's decision to restrict food aid, but before President Donald Trump expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian situation.
The findings underscore the Israeli government’s dramatic loss of support within the US. But not everyone is shifting — instead, the genocide has become more politically polarising.
The new poll finds that about 6 in 10 US adults disapprove of the military invasion Israel has taken in Gaza, up from 45 percent in November 2023.
Support for the genocidal war has been dwindling in Gallup's polling for some time. In March 2024, about half of US adults disapproved of Israel's carnage in Gaza, which fell slightly as the year wore on.
Disillusioned with Israel's war
More Democrats disapprove of the genocidal war compared to Republicans. In a new low, only 8 percent of Democrats and one-quarter of independents say they now approve of Israel's military invasion of Gaza.
While former President Joe Biden faced significant pushback from fellow Democrats on his handling of the Israeli carnage, they may be even more frustrated by the approach of Trump.
Young adults are also much more likely to disapprove of Israel's brutal war. Only about 1 in 10 adults under age 35 say they approve of Israel's military attacks in Gaza, compared with about half of those who are 55 or older.
Gallup senior editor Megan Brenan says the latest figures reflect the enduring partisan divide. Even as Democrats grow increasingly unhappy with Israel's military attacks, Republicans remain supportive.
Views of Netanyahu have also grown less favourable over the past few years, with more viewing him negatively than positively in measurements taken since the genocidal war in Gaza began.
About half of US adults, 52 percent, now have an unfavourable view of Netanyahu in the new poll, which overlapped with Netanyahu's recent visit to the US.
Just 29 percent view him positively, and about two in 10 either haven't heard of him or don't have an opinion.
"This is the first time we've seen a majority of Americans, with an unfavourable view of him," Brenan says. "All of these questions in this poll show us basically the same story, and it’s not a good one for the Israeli government right now."
More than half of US adults, 55 percent, disapprove of Trump's handling of the situation in the Middle East, according to a July AP-NORC poll.
But the genocide has not weighed as heavily on Trump as it did on Biden, who watched Democrats splinter on the issue.
About 8 in 10 Republicans approve of Trump's handling of the situation in the Middle East.
By contrast, only about 4 in 10 Democrats approved of Biden's handling of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians last summer, shortly before he dropped out of the presidential race.
