Released: January 29, 2009

Ideology and Views Toward the Middle East Conflict

The American public has long expressed strong support for Israel. In a survey conducted earlier this month during the conflict in the Gaza Strip, 49% of Americans said they sympathized more with Israel in its dispute with the Palestinians, while just 11% sympathized more with the Palestinians and 15% said they sympathized with neither side. These findings reflected the typical support that Americans have expressed for Israel over the years.

In contrast, polls in Western Europe have frequently found more support for the Palestinians than the Israelis, as was the case in a 2007 survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project. In France, 43% said they sympathized with the Palestinians — the highest percentage of the six Western European countries surveyed at that time. About a third of the French (32%) said they sympathized more with Israel, while 16% said they sympathized with neither side in the conflict.

Read the complete commentary at pewresearch.org