A new Gallup poll released Wednesday showed that 63% of Americans say their sympathies in the Middle East situation lie more with the Israelis than with the Palestinians, a near record high for U.S. support for Israel.
The poll, which surveyed 1,025 adults February 1 - 3, also showed that only 15% said their sympathies lie with the Palestinians. Another 23% either support both sides equally or don't support either side at all.
The percent favoring Israel is the highest since 1991, when 64% said they supported Israel shortly after it was hit by Iraqi Scud missiles during the Gulf War. Support for the Palestinians remained around the levels it has been at since 1988.
Support for Israel among Republicans has been steadily rising since 2001, when 60% said they favored Israel compared to the 85% who said they favor Israel in the latest poll.
Among Democrats, support is down slightly from 2001 levels; 51% favored Israel in 2001 compared to 48% in the latest poll. Among Independents, support for Israel jumped from 42% in 2001 to 60% in the latest poll.
In addition, the poll found that 67% of those surveyed favor Israeli authority in the region compared to just 20% who favor Palestinian authority.
Only 30% of respondents felt that there would come a time when the Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace, the second-lowest percentage in the last 13 years.
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June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.