Revulsion for Israel surges worldwide, new survey finds

Ali Abunimah Rights and Accountability 4 June 2025

Person holds "No euros for genocide" sign amid large marching crowd

A protester holds a banner during the “Move for Palestine” demonstration in Madrid on 10 May 2025.

Angel Perez ZUMA Press Wire

Twenty months into its livestreamed and accelerating genocide in Gaza, it would hardly be controversial to conclude that Israel is one of the world’s most hated countries.

But a new global survey from the US-based Pew Research Center indicates just how unpopular it has become, especially in the North American and European states where Tel Aviv has always drawn its main sources of financial, military and political support.

“In 20 of the 24 countries surveyed, around half of adults or more have an unfavorable view of Israel,” Pew reported on 3 June. “Around three-quarters or more hold this view in Australia, Greece, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.”

Pew says it last asked the question in 10 of the countries included in its new survey in 2013. “In seven of these countries, the share of adults with a negative view of Israel has increased significantly.”

Israel was most unpopular in Turkey, with 93 percent of respondents viewing it unfavorably. Turkey was the only country in the immediate region of Palestine to be surveyed by Pew.

Graphic showing survey results

Israel is viewed negatively by wide majorities in most countries surveyed by Pew Research Center.

Among European publics surveyed, Israel was viewed most negatively in the Netherlands (78 percent), a remarkable fact in a country whose governments have traditionally been staunchly pro-Israel.

Even in Hungary – whose leader Viktor Orban welcomed Benjamin Netanyahu to Budapest earlier this year in spite of the international arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister – 53 percent of the public views Israel negatively.

Historic shift in US

In the United States – Israel’s biggest financier and arms supplier – 53 percent of those surveyed now have a negative view of Israel – an 11-point surge since 2022, according to Pew.

In recent years, surveys have consistently found that Israel is overwhelmingly unpopular with majorities of Democrats, younger Americans and people of color.

But it is an entirely new phenomenon for a majority of the US population overall to view Israel negatively.

The erosion of support for Israel in the United States – particularly among younger people – has long worried Israel and its lobby groups as a potential threat to long-term US support for Israel.

That likely explains why the Trump administration has focused its unconstitutional crackdown on free speech critical of Israel on college campuses, in an effort to scare the younger generation into line.

The turn to heavy-handed censorship, not just in the US but across Europe, is also an admission that efforts to equate disapproval of Israel’s crimes with anti-Semitism, or to burnish its brand with expensive PR campaigns, can do nothing against the horrific reality streamed daily from Gaza to peoples phones.

Break on the American right?

In many of the countries where it conducted surveys, Pew observes that “people who place themselves on the left have a more negative view of Israel than those on the right.”

But that ideological gap is most pronounced in the US, according to Pew, where “74 percent of liberals have a negative view of Israel, compared with 30 percent of conservatives.”

Still, in an April survey of Americans, Pew found a sharp rise in the number of Republican voters who view Israel unfavorably – from 27 percent to 37 percent – indicating that Israel is losing support across the political spectrum.

In recent years, there has been a notable new phenomenon of prominent right-wing commentators, like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Judge Andrew Napolitano, voicing skepticism and sometimes harsh criticism of Israel and US support for it that once seemed unthinkable.

The rise of Israel skeptics within the Trump administration and the US right more generally has reportedly led Netanyahu to confide in close aides that “that he misjudged the direction the US was taking on Israel and the broader Middle East,” Israel’s Ynet reported.

With notable standouts like Napolitano, a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights on moral grounds, the break in the pro-Israel consensus on the American right is driven more by disagreements about where Israel fits into an “America First” vision and a perception that Israel pushes for the US to engage in disastrous wars on its behalf.

To be sure, whatever ill feeling there may be in the White House toward Israel and its leader has not resulted in any US pressure on Israel to halt the genocide.

Israel’s reputation tanks in Europe

Public pressure does nevertheless seem to be having an effect in other Western countries, where staunchly pro-Israel governments are stepping up their criticism of Israel.

In May, France, the United Kingdom and Canada threatened Israel with unspecified “concrete actions” if it does not end its starvation siege of Gaza.

And just last week, Ireland became the first Western country and member of the EU to declare at the highest level that Israel is perpetrating genocide in Gaza.

The European Union is also “reviewing” its Association Agreement with Israel, amid growing calls to suspend the lucrative trade deal.

Given that the EU recently bragged about adopting its 17th sanctions “package” against Russia since 2022, these declarations about Israel appear woefully late and inadequate.

With Israel openly exterminating Palestinians, through relentless bombing and starvation, Brussels has yet to impose anything other than token sanctions on Tel Aviv.

And yet, there are signs of movement. Spain this week canceled a $310 million arms purchase from Israeli weapons company Rafael amid reported moves by Madrid “to reduce Spain’s reliance on Israeli defense technology in light of Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza.”

In Spain, according to Pew, 75 percent of the public holds a negative view of Israel.

These moves may be little and late, but they would likely not have happened at all without constant, vocal public outrage at Israel’s crimes and the complicity of European and other governments.

They are signs that public pressure and protest matter and are more important than ever to bring a halt to this genocide.

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Michael Edwards replied on

I wouldn’t call the increased criticism in the US a “surge.” Eleven percentage points seems to show that US support for Israel is unfortunately largely inelastic.

I’m not sure how aware EF is on Christian Zionism and how their end times interpretation of the Book of Revelation drives their unquestioning love of Israel. What’s mind blowing is how Jews are seen as pawns in their whole story.

I think I saw somewhere that 25 percent of Americans are Christian Zionists. That’s a big chunk of Americans who employ zero critical thinking to the issue of ending genocide in Gaza.

“My old holy book and pastor say that Israel is the light of the world therefore it is so.”

The corporate Democratic position is pathetic. Most Democrats, as you highlight, are done with Israel, but you’d never know it listening to Democratic politicians and seeing how the vote.

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John Costello replied on

I understand the hatred for Israel, I feel it too, and I hate them more for making me hate, but hate is evil winning.
As long as it can, Israel will pursue this genocide. Everything that inspired it has grown more influential. If it's halted for a month or a decade, it will return if it can. And it can as long as we're the hyperpower and will grant it's wishes. That may change with the shifting geopolitical sands and Western allies might make a difference for a while. But if you think you can count on any of that, you're not paying attention.
I wish the one state solution, binational etc, was conceivable now. But it's not and the first order of business must be to find a way to two states.
Leaving the practically of it aside, because the more just and successful the negotiations, the more plausible the best possible outcome is, something must come between US and Israel for that purpose. If that isn't done, all hope resides in furtive passing fantasies of effective support and there is no evidence of that.
How to create distance between our Congress and Israeli influence is the only relevant question for Palestine to answer. I think I know how but it would mean huge compromises.
Hamas and Fatah must reapproach. They should bring an offer for Hames surrender in exchange for a seat at the table in negotiations after the UN approves a US led temporary trust for Palestine, as a US territory. That will drive the partition in between the US and Israel because our Congress' oath to the Constitution will give anti-Zionists the upper hand in debate and voting. The horrific effect of GOP weaponizing of support for Israel will recede and members of the press will be much freer of constraints and incentive to convey anti Palestinian narratives.
Mainly though, the constant refrain of Israeli insecurity in a bad neighborhood will be silenced and negotiations can proceed between Palestine and Israel, sans US, with the UN in attendance, which would enhance the UN's image

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Ali Abunimah

Co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine, now out from Haymarket Books.

Also wrote One Country: A Bold-Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. Opinions are mine alone.