More Democrats in the United States support Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank than Israel, the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East, according to a 2023 poll.
Democratic sympathies for Palestinians has increased over the last decade, and a Gallup poll published in March 2023 found their affinity toward the Palestinians finally eclipsed their support of Israel, 49% to 38%.
The attitudes from March reflected a continued decline in Israeli support, from 40% to 38% and an 11-point surge of support for Palestinian people, from 38% to 49%.
The 38% support for Israel was a historic low for the Democratic Party, as is the 13% of Democrats who said they do not favor one side over the other.
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American and Palestinian flags wave outside the Verizon Center during the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference on March 21, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Presidential candidates from both parties gathered in Washington to pitch their plans for Israel. (Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, across the proverbial aisle, Republicans overwhelmingly support Israel with 78% supporting the Middle Eastern ally. Only 11% expressed sympathies more with the Palestinians.
The nearly 8-in-10 support for Israel has been steadfast since 2003, dipping only once over the past 20 years below 70%.
More Independents support Israel (49%) than Palestinians (32%). Nineteen percent said they did not favor one side over the other, according to Gallup.
Aviv, Talia and Brielle, who declined to provide their last names, pose at the White House, which is illuminated in white and blue in support of Israel, on Oct. 9, 2023 in Washington, D.C. The show of support comes amid the weekend attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas that has claimed hundreds of lives and wounded thousands more. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Americans generally support Israel (54%) than Palestinians (31%), with only 15% having no preference, the poll found.
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The recent poll has resurfaced as a war has erupted between Israel and Hamas, a terror group that governs Gaza, a territory given to Palestinian people in 2005 in exchange for peace.
Hamas terrorists launched a brutal and surprising assault on towns and villages just across the Gaza-Israel border, massacring more than 700 of people in a single day.
The violence continued with Hamas firing more than 1,500 rockets into Israel, striking Tel Avi, Jerusalem and other cities.
Palestinians inspect the destruction from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City’s al-Rimal neighborhood early on Oct. 10, 2023. Israel kept up its deadly bombardment of Hamas-controlled Gaza on Oct. 10 after the Palestinian militant group threatened to execute some of the around 150 hostages it abducted in a weekend assault if air strikes continue without warning. (MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)
While President Biden and other Democratic lawmakers have expressed support for Israel and condemned Hamas’ violence, some House Democrats have released statements disparaging Israel and calling for the U.S. to cut off its support to Israel.
At least 1,600 people have died in the current four-day war, including more than 900 Israelis and 11 Americans.
More than 160 people were also taken as hostages by Hamas-led forces and Islamic jihadists. An unknown number of Americans are believed to be among the hostages.
Israel has launched a major counteroffensive in an effort to eliminate Hamas and rescue the hostages.
