Americans are torn in three directions over the United States’ role in resolving the Israel-Hamas conflict that has rocked the Middle East, according to a Gallup poll.
Asked their assessment of the situation, 41% of American adults said the United States is doing about the right amount, and an almost-equal portion, 39%, said the government is not doing enough. Meanwhile, 19% said they think the United States is doing too much.
When parsed by political affiliation, the perspectives skew somewhat.
The largest segment of Republicans, 40%, think the United States is not doing enough to end the conflict, followed by 33% who think the government is doing the right amount and 26% who think it’s too much.
Among Democrats, 40% also think the government is not doing enough, but 48% are satisfied with U.S. involvement, and 11% see it as too much.
Independents come closest to matching the national averages, with 40% saying the United States is doing the right amount, 38% wishing for greater involvement, and 21% claiming it’s too much.
Gallup conducted the poll the first three weeks of December and began as a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas ended.
The poll also queried Americans regarding their opinions about the United States’ general support for Israel and for the Palestinians.
Overall, 38% of U.S. adults said their country supports Israel the right amount, while 36% said Israel gets too much support, and 24% said Israel does not receive enough support.
Opinions about support for Palestinians was more evenly split. One-third, or 33%, believe Palestinians get the right amount of support, the exact same proportion as those who believe they get too little support. Almost the same portion, 31%, feel Palestinians get too much support.
The sharpest political differences showed in feelings about Palestinians. Slightly more than half, 52%, of Republicans said Palestinians get too much support, while almost half, 49%, of Democrats said they don’t get enough support.
Regarding Israel, 37% of Republicans said the nation gets too little U.S. support, while 40% of both Independents and Democrats said it gets too much support.
Overall, while still a minority, a record high percentage of Americans indicated they think Israel receives too little support. That number was 24%, more than double the figure as late as 2008, and it has grown at a steady pace since 2006.
Meanwhile, disapproval of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is at an all-time high. The Israeli leader has been charged with fraud, bribery and breach of trust. And since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, his administration has been charged with major security lapses. Polled by Gallup, 47 percent of American adults expressed an unfavorable opinion of Netanyahu. But he fared better with Americans than with his fellow Israelis, 52% of whom disapprove.
Opinions of Netanyahu reveal the division in U.S. politics. Among Americans, 55% of Republicans approve of Netanyahu, compared to 30% of Independents and just 14% of Democrats.
Related articles:
If you’re uncertain how to approach Israel and Gaza, start with grief
A passionate appeal for live vs. death in Gaza
‘I’m a Palestinian American Christian, and I don’t hear my story in any of the narratives’
Biden’s appearance at Mother Emmanuel Church belies his hypocritical stand on Israel