U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Feb. 4, 2025. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)
New poll shows massive divide between Republicans and Democrats over Trump’s Gaza policies, with Democrats far less likely to sympathize with Israelis or to consider Israel a close ally of the US.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
Americans are sharply divided over President Donald Trump’s handling of the war in Gaza between Israel and the Hamas terror organization, with Republicans strongly backing the president’s policies, while Democrats and independents largely oppose them, according to a new poll.
On Tuesday, the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, in conjunction with The Associated Press, published a poll conducted from March 20-24 which surveyed 1,229 American adults on their views regarding American policies vis-à-vis the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Just under half (44%) of Americans say they approve of Trump’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, compared to 54% who disapprove.
Among Republicans, however, 82% approve of Trump’s policies, compared to just 17% who disapprove.
But just 14% of Democrats and 33% of independents endorsed Trump’s policies on the Gaza war, while 84% of Democrats and 61% of independents say they disapprove.
The poll also found a partisan gap in support for Israel, with Republicans more likely to view Israel as a close ally and to sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians.
More than half (53%) of Republicans view Israel as a close ally of the US, the highest ranking among Republicans after Britain, which 55% of Republicans view as a close ally.
Just 34% of Democrats, however, also view Israel as a close ally, roughly equal with the number who view Germany as a close ally (33%) and fewer than the number who view France (40%) or the European Union (45%) as close allies.
Nearly half (49%) of Republicans sympathize with Israelis more than with Palestinians, compared to 6% who sympathize more with Palestinians, 16% who sympathize with both equally, and 28% who sympathize with neither.
Democrats were more likely to sympathize with Palestinians than with Israelis, with just 11% saying they have more sympathy for Israelis, while 27% sympathize more with Palestinians.
Independents are also more likely to sympathize with Palestinians, with 13% sympathizing more with Israelis and 15% sympathizing more with Palestinians.
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