A Gallup survey released Friday shows a dramatic shift in American public opinion on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, with sympathies no longer leaning more toward Israel for the first time in the poll’s 25-year history.

According to the findings, 41% of Americans now say they sympathize more with the Palestinians, while 36% side more with Israel. Though the five-point difference is within the poll’s margin of error, it represents a sharp reversal from only a year ago, when Israel held a 13-point advantage.

From 2001 through 2025, Israel consistently enjoyed double-digit leads in public sympathy, with especially wide margins throughout the early 2000s and 2010s. The gap began narrowing several years before the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, and has continued to shrink amid the ongoing war in Gaza and the subsequent U.S.-brokered ceasefire that began in October 2025.

As in past years, a significant portion of Americans express no preference: 4% sympathize with both sides, 9% with neither, and 10% offer no opinion.

Independents Drive the Shift

The most striking movement comes from political independents, who for the first time say they sympathize more with the Palestinians than with Israel, by a margin of 41% to 30%. Last year, independents still leaned toward Israel.

Democratic opinion has remained largely steady after shifting decisively toward the Palestinians in recent years. Sixty-five percent of Democrats now side with the Palestinians, while 17% sympathize more with Israel.

Republicans remain strongly supportive of Israel, with 70% siding with the Jewish state. However, that figure has dropped 10 points since 2024, falling to its lowest level in more than two decades.

Generational Changes

Younger Americans continue to show the greatest sympathy for the Palestinians. A majority – 53% of adults aged 18 to 34 – now say their sympathies lie with the Palestinians, compared to just 23% who sympathize more with Israel. This marks the first time the younger demographic has shown majority support for the Palestinians.

Middle-aged Americans, traditionally more balanced in their views, also shifted sharply: 46% sympathize more with Palestinians and 28% with Israelis, a near reversal from last year.

Among adults 55 and older, support still favors Israel, though by the narrowest margin since 2005. Forty-nine percent sympathize more with Israel, and 31% with the Palestinians.

Gallup’s separate ratings of favorability toward Israel and the Palestinian Territories likewise show significant movement.

Israel’s favorability has dropped to 46%, nearing its historical low, while the Palestinian Territories have reached a record 37% favorability.

Among independents, the shift is most pronounced: for the first time, equal shares – 41% each – view Israel and the Palestinian Territories favorably. Since early 2023, independent voters’ favorability toward Israel has dropped 26 points, while their favorability toward the Palestinian Territories has risen 12 points.

Democrats now view the Palestinian Territories more favorably than Israel, while Republicans remain strongly pro-Israel, though their support has also weakened compared to previous years.

A consistent majority of Americans—57%—support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. This ties the highest levels recorded since 2003 and reflects continued broad backing for a two-state solution even as partisan divisions widen.

Support is strongest among Democrats (77%), followed by independents (57%). Republican support stands at 33%, down significantly from pre-2023 levels.

Gallup’s latest results underscore a major realignment in how Americans view the longstanding conflict. While Israel continues to enjoy higher overall favorability, it no longer commands the clear sympathy advantage that defined U.S. public opinion for decades.

The survey also highlights growing generational and partisan divides, suggesting that the political landscape surrounding U.S. policy toward Israel may continue to evolve in the years ahead.