A new Reuters/Ipsos survey reveals that the majority of US citizens believe that the international community should formally recognize Palestine as a sovereign nation, and a major shift in global public opinion is emerging at global stages.
A comprehensive poll conducted over a six-day period that ended last Monday found that 58% of Americans were in favor of all UN member states that recognize the Palestinian state. This majority stance stands in contrast to 33% of respondents who opposed such a move, but 9% are unsure or rejecting an answer.
In recent weeks, several important US allies, including Canada, the UK and France, have publicly announced considerations for their plans to officially recognize the Palestinian state. These moves are surrounded primarily as efforts to strengthen solutions for the two states in the future, and appear to be more closely aligned with the views of the American people than the long-standing official policies of the US government.
This public sentiment arrived at a moment of prominent diplomatic activity, highlighting a deep change in the American perspective since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
The change is driven by the incredible human costs of the conflict, with Gaza health authorities reporting that more than 62,000 Palestinians dead and deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
Furthermore, this growing criticism coincides with groundbreaking rulings from international legal institutions and rulings from leading human rights groups describing Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.
Polls show that 59% of Americans believe Israel’s military response in Gaza is “excessive,” a significant increase from 53% who held that view in a similar poll in February 2024.
The majority of 65% said the US should take action to help those facing Gaza’s starvation.