Support for Israel hits record lows across Western Europe: Survey
Germany (-44), France (-48), and Denmark (-54) all record historic lows in public opinion towards Israel, says YouGov
Israelis hold protest in West Jerusalem
LONDON
Public opinion of Israel has plunged to record lows across Western Europe, with widespread condemnation of its military operations in Gaza, according to the latest YouGov EuroTrack survey on Tuesday.
As Israel pushes forward with plans to seize three-quarters of the Gaza Strip following the collapse of a recent ceasefire, sympathy among Europeans appears to be rapidly dwindling.
The survey, conducted in Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, reveals a stark shift in sentiment, with net favorability ratings for Israel reaching their lowest levels since tracking began in 2016.
Germany (-44), France (-48), and Denmark (-54) all recorded historic lows in public opinion towards Israel.
Italy (-52) and Spain (-55) also showed deepening disapproval, matching or surpassing previous nadirs dating back to 2021.
In each of the six countries surveyed, only 13% to 21% of respondents expressed a favorable view of Israel, while 63% to 70% said their opinion was unfavorable.
Western Europeans are also overwhelmingly critical of Israel’s military strategy in Gaza.
Just 6% to 16% believe that Israel’s deployment of ground troops and broader response to Hamas attacks have been proportionate — a slight decrease from similar polling conducted in October 2023.
Support for the justification of Israel’s actions hovers between 9% and 25%, with Italy recording the lowest approval.
At the same time, the original Hamas attacks in late 2023 have received little endorsement, with only 5% to 9% across the six nations saying those actions were justified.
However, sympathy among Europeans appears to be shifting more decisively toward the Palestinian side.
Between 18% and 33% of respondents say they sympathize more with Palestinians, compared to just 7% to 18% for Israelis.
Germany is the only country where sentiment is almost evenly split.
Expectations for peace in the Middle East are also on the decline.
Just 29% of French respondents believe peace is possible within the next decade — the highest among the six countries — while only 15% of Danes share that view.
