Support for Israel among US citizens has dramatically decreased, according to a new Gallup poll, marking an unprecedented shift in decades of overwhelming, unconditional backing for Israel.

In a report published on Friday, the polling agency said 41% of Americans now sympathize more with Palestinians, while 36% remain more favorable to Israelis. By contrast, before the Hamas-led attack in October 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza, 54% of Americans sympathized more with Israel and 31% with Palestine.

Key findings from the report:

Perception shifts followed what has been widely regarded as Israel's disproportionate response to the October 7 attack, where about 1,200 people were killed in Israel and more than 250 were taken captive.

Israel has killed more than 72,000 people in Gaza, the majority of them women and children, and reduced almost the entire enclave to rubble.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes. South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, joined by several other nations.

The report noted that while support fell at a faster rate following the war, the downward trend had started since 2019 due to the cumulative effect of gradual changes in US attitudes.

Source: www.aljazeera.com