Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Feb 27: For the first time in over two decades, more Americans sympathize with Palestinians than Israelis in their conflict, according to a new poll released by Gallup on Friday.

The survey found that 41 percent of Americans said they sympathize more with the Palestinians, while 36 percent expressed greater sympathy for Israel. The remaining respondents were either undecided or said they favored both or neither side. Though the gap is not statistically significant, it marks the first time since Gallup began asking the question more than 20 years ago that Israel did not lead in public sympathy.

The findings reflect a sharp shift from a year ago, when Israel led Palestinian sympathies by 46 percent to 33 percent.

The divide remains strongly partisan. Independents sided with the Palestinian people by an 11-percentage-point margin, contributing significantly to the overall shift in sentiment.

Members of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party continued to back Israel firmly, with 70 percent expressing support for Israel, although that figure has declined by 10 percentage points over the past decade.

Support patterns among Democrats have changed markedly over the years. Democratic voters’ views of Israel have grown more critical since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly broke with then US president Barack Obama over Iran diplomacy a decade ago.

Some Democratic voters also faulted former president Joe Biden for not doing more to restrain Israel during its military offensive in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

In the latest poll, 65 percent of Democrats said they sympathize more with the Palestinians, compared to 17 percent who sided with Israel.

Gallup surveyed 1,001 US adults by telephone between February 2 and 16.