Gaza Assault Losing Favor in US

News Desk

United Nations: According to a recent Reuters poll, nearly 70 percent of Americans said the Israeli government should pursue a cease-fire, including three-quarters of Democrats and half of Republicans.

About 32 percent of respondents said the US should support Israel, down from 41 percent in mid-October, days after the start of the war.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll’s respondents showed less support for Israel than at the start of the conflict, showing changing opinions amid the escalating bombing of Gaza.

A majority of Americans now back a cease-fire in Israeli bomb-out Gaza, despite the fact that the Biden administration has strongly spoken against such a move.

Many now believe that the US should instead be a “neutral mediator” in the conflict instead of taking a side. The rate has increased to 39 percent from 27 percent a month ago.

Fifteen percent of respondents said the US should back Palestinian interests in the war which is largely unchanged.

The drop in support, most apparent among older respondents, comes after weeks of relentless airstrikes and a ground campaign in Gaza by the Israeli military which has drawn criticism from much of the international community.

The poll also found that more Americans are willing to support the Ukrainian military with weapons against Russia than Israel. Just under a third of Americans backed weapons for Israel, while just more than 40 percent said they supported the same for Ukraine.

The Ipsos poll questioned about 1,000 people online this month and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

The results correspond with a recent Marist poll that found a larger proportion of Americans disapprove of Israel’s military strategy in Gaza; 38 percent of Americans believe Israel has gone “too far” in its response to the initial October 7 attack that sparked the conflict, compared to 26 holding that opinion at the outset of the war.

The survey also found that Democrats’ allegiances are split in the conflict, despite the pro-Israel unity of most Democrats in Congress.A 45 percent share of Democrats have the most sympathy for Israel in the war, while another 45 percent said the same for Palestinians.