Most Americans think the United States should recognise Palestinian statehood — thus a two-state solution with Israel in the Middle East — a Reuters/Ipsos poll has found. This would mean President Donald Trump’s negative view on this matter is not in sync with public opinion.
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, Reuters reported.
Among Trump’s Republicans, 53% opposed doing so, but 41% of even the more right-wing party in the US said they would support recognising a Palestinian state.
This comes as a growing number of countries even in the West, including American allies UK, Canada and France, besides Australia, have formally recognised Palestinian statehood in recent weeks. This has drawn condemnation from Israel, whose founding in 1948 led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and decades of conflict.
What about Israel’s Gaza action?
Even on Israel’s action in Gaza — it has killed over 65,000 Palestinians after the October 2023 attack by Palestinian group Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israel — the views are different from those of Trump and his administration whoch has justified the mass bombardment.
Around 60% of poll respondents said Israel’s response in Gaza was excessive; 32% disagreed.
On peace deal, is Trump getting credit?
Trump has largely backed Israel in the war but this month brokered a ceasefire.
Even on the peace deal, the Reuters/Ipsos poll gave signs that the US public may be ready to give Trump credit.
About 51% of poll respondents agreed with a statement that Trump “deserves significant credit” if his efforts are successful, compared with 42% who disagreed.
He managed to get even some Democrats on his side on this one. 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 in Gaza.
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 just ahead of the ceasefire deal. The latest rating was Trump’s highest since July.
Will peace hold in Gaza?
But peace may be precarious as usual in the region. An explosion of violence over the weekend threatened to derail the week-old truce, Reuters reported. US diplomats stepped up pressure on Israel and Hamas to get Trump’s plan back on track.
Key questions remain: on Hamas disarming, Israeli troop pullbacks, and future governance of the Palestinian enclave.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online and gathered responses from 4,385 people nationwide. It had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
