60% think Israel’s response to Oct. 7 was excessive; just 5% of Democrats approve of Trump’s performance as president, but 25% credit him for reaching Gaza truce, Reuters survey finds
PHOTO: AP
Most Americans, including 80 percent of Democrats and 41% of Republicans, think the United States should recognize Palestinian statehood, a sign that US President Donald Trump’s opposition to doing so may be out of step with public opinion, a Reuters/Ipsos poll has found.
The six-day poll, which closed on Monday, found 59% of respondents backed US recognition of a Palestinian state, while 33% were opposed and the rest were unsure or did not answer the question.
About half of Trump’s Republicans — 53% — opposed doing so, while 41% of Republicans said they would support the US recognizing a Palestinian state.
A growing number of countries — including US allies Britain, Canada, France and Australia — have formally recognized Palestinian statehood in recent weeks, drawing condemnation from Israel.
The Israel-Hamas war, launched by the Palestinian terrorist organization’s October 7, 2023, onslaught on Israel — in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were murdered and 251 were taken hostage — has left vast swaths of Palestinian neighborhoods in Gaza demolished.
Some 60% of poll respondents said Israel’s response in Gaza was excessive, compared to 32% who disagreed.
Trump, who returned to the White House in January, has largely backed Israel in the war and this month brokered a ceasefire, raising hopes that lasting peace could be in reach.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll gave signs the US public was ready to give Trump credit should his plan work. Some 51% of poll respondents agreed with a statement that Trump “deserves significant credit” if peace efforts are successful, compared with 42% who disagreed.
While only one in 20 Democrats approve of Trump’s overall performance as president, one in four said he should get significant credit if the peace holds.
Success on that front appears far from certain. An explosion of violence over the weekend, sparked by a deadly Hamas attack on IDF forces, threatened to derail the week-old truce, and US diplomats stepped up pressure on Israel and Hamas to get Trump’s plan back on track.
Hamas is also still holding 13 bodies of hostages, which it was supposed to have returned as part of the deal, but claims it cannot reach because they are buried under rubble.
Meanwhile, key questions of Hamas disarming, further Israeli troop pullbacks and future governance of the Strip remain unresolved.
Trump’s approval rating on foreign policy appeared to be on a modest upswing, rising to 38% in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, compared to 33% in a poll conducted earlier this month just ahead of the ceasefire deal. The latest rating is Trump’s highest since July.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online and gathered responses from 4,385 people throughout the US. It had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
Reuters: Further contribution from Times of Israel.
