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Middle East Eye
6 days ago
- Business
- Middle East Eye
From Italy to Japan, most people have negative views of Israel, poll finds
The majority of people across the world have a negative view of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a Pew poll released on Tuesday. Views on Israel were mostly negative in 20 out of 24 countries surveyed by Pew between January and April 2025. Most people in Arab and Muslim countries have had a negative view of Israel for decades, but the Pew poll showed widespread negative attitudes across Europe and East Asia. It also showed that positive views of Israel are decreasing in Western Europe and among young people. In Italy, 66 percent of people had a negative view of Israel, measured by 'somewhat or very unfavorable' opinions. In Greece, Sweden and Spain, the negative sentiment towards Israel was all above 70 percent. In the Netherlands, the number reached 78 percent. Even in Poland, whose government is traditionally supportive of Israel, public sentiment was 62 percent negative. Likewise, in Hungary, 53 percent of respondents had a negative opinion of Israel. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The Pew poll also showed widespread negative sentiment towards Israel in Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, where 80 percent of respondents viewed Israel either somewhat or very unfavourably. Elsewhere in Asia, the views were negative, including 80 percent of respondents in Japan and 60 percent in South Korea. Increasing dislike across the globe US sentiment towards Israel was also included, referencing a poll Pew published in April. According to that survey, a majority of Americans, 53 percent, have a negative view of Israel. That number was up from 42 percent in March 2022, before the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel and Israel's subsequent war on the Gaza Strip. In the US, Democrats are still more likely than Republicans to express a negative opinion of Israel by 69 percent to 37 percent, respectively. But the Pew poll said that the number of Republicans who hold negative opinions on Israel has increased 10 percentage points since 2022. Majority of Americans hold unfavourable view of Israel, Pew poll finds Read More » Young Republicans, those under the age of 50, especially, are now more likely to have an unfavourable view of Israel, with 50 percent polling in that direction. That gap comes as more popular conservative voices, like Candice Owens and Tucker Carlson, have become more open to challenging US military support for Israel and the treatment of Christians inside the occupied Palestine. Pew said that the last time it asked respondents in the UK about their view on Israel, in 2013, 44 percent had an unfavourable view. Today, that number is 61 percent, and that trend has held across the globe. 'In 10 other countries, we last asked this question in 2013. In seven of these countries, the share of adults with a negative view of Israel has increased significantly,' the report said. Views of Israel also differ by age group. 'In some countries, younger people are more likely than older people to have an unfavourable view of Israel. This is particularly the case in the high-income countries surveyed: Australia, Canada, France, Poland and South Korea and the US,' the report said. The US has one of the most significant age gaps. Confidence in Netanyahu was also low across the 24 countries surveyed. In Australia, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey, around three-quarters of adults or more have little or no confidence in Netanyahu.
Middle East Eye
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Majority of Americans hold unfavourable view of Israel, Pew poll finds
More than a majority of Americans now have a negative view of Israel, according to a recent poll, underscoring the fallout from Israel's war on Gaza. According to a Pew Research poll published on Tuesday, 53 percent of Americans now express an unfavourable opinion of Israel, up from 42 percent in March 2022 - before the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel and Israel's decimation of the enclave. Democrats are still more likely than Republicans to express a negative opinion of Israel by 69 percent to 37 percent, respectively. But the number of Republicans who hold negative opinions on Israel has increased 10 percentage points since 2022. Young Republicans, those under the age of 50, especially, are now more likely to have an unfavourable view of Israel, with 50 percent polling in that direction. That gap underscores the rise of popular alternative conservative media voices like Candice Owens and Tucker Carlson, who have become more open to challenging Israel. Among Democrats, those with a negative view of Israel has also grown. The 69 percent of Democrats with that view marks a 16 percent increase since 2022, when 53 percent of Democrats viewed Israel unfavourably. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters A majority of Americans across every demographic on both sides, with the exception of Republicans aged 18-49, agree that Israel's war on Gaza was both "personally" important to them and US interests. Jewish Americans have been moving away from Israel in recent years. This trend picked up over domestic differences within Israel over the country's Supreme Court but has been turbocharged since the war in Gaza erupted. However, at least 73 percent of Jewish Americans still hold a favourable view of Israel. After them, White evangelicals hold the highest favourable view of Israel at 72 percent. Notably, more White Protestants and Catholics now hold unfavourable views of Israel at 50 percent and 53 percent, respectively. Muslim Americans hold the strongest unfavourable views of Israel, with 81 percent against and just 19 percent viewing Israel favourably. Americans don't want to 'take over' Gaza The poll was conducted just before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House earlier this week. His trip came amid rising tensions between the US, Israel and Iran, and with a Gaza ceasefire process that is stalled as Israel continues to pummel the Gaza Strip. US President Donald Trump's handling of Israel's war on Gaza garnered mixed results among those polled, with 31 percent saying he is favouring the Israelis too much and 29 percent saying he's striking the right balance. Just three percent said he was favouring Palestinians too much, with the highest chunk of respondents, 37 percent, saying they were unsure. More than half of Americans think that a two-state solution "cannot be found for Israel and an independent Palestinian state to co-exist peacefully", while 46 percent still think it can be done. Alongside Netanyahu, Trump announces direct US talks with Iran Read More » Trump also reiterated his previous plan to "take over" the Gaza Strip during his meeting with Netanyahu, an idea that 36 percent of Americans think Trump will not pursue, according to the Pew poll. Polling showed the idea is unpopular with Americans, with 62 percent opposing the US "taking over Gaza", including 49 percent who strongly oppose it. Just 15 percent support the plan. Trump also announced during Netanyahu's visit that the US would begin 'direct talks" with Iran on a nuclear deal on Saturday. Tehran says the talks will be indirect. Netanyahu is seen as an advocate for military strikes on Iran. One of Trump's top advocates in the US media, conservative podcaster Carlson, wrote ahead of Netanyahu's visit how 'now is the worst possible time for the United States to participate in a military strike on Iran'. 'We can't afford it. Thousands of Americans would die. We'd lose the war that follows. Nothing would be more destructive to our country,' he said. According to the survey, a slim majority of Americans, 52 percent, have little or no confidence in Netanyahu to 'do the right thing regarding world affairs'. Among Jewish Americans, 53 percent have little to no confidence in Netanyahu.
