---
title: "2. Americans’ views of Israelis, Palestinians and their political leadership"
description: "Americans express more favorable than unfavorable views of both the Israeli people and the Palestinian people. But views of political leadership in the region – the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas – are more negative than positive. Nearly six-in-ten Americans (59%) now have an unfavorable view of the Israeli government, while 68% view […]"
date: "2025-10-03"
authors:
  - name: "Ted Van Green"
    job_title: "Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/ted-van-green/"
  - name: "Steven Shepard"
    job_title: "Associate Director, Politics"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/steven-shepard/"
  - name: "Andy Cerda"
    job_title: "Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/andy-cerda/"
  - name: "Gabriel Borelli"
    job_title: "Research Associate"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/gabriel-borelli/"
  - name: "Jocelyn Kiley"
    job_title: "Director, Politics Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/jocelyn-kiley/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/10/03/americans-views-of-israelis-palestinians-and-their-political-leadership/"
categories:
  - "Global Image of Countries"
  - "Israel Global Image"
  - "Partisanship & Issues"
  - "Political Issues"
  - "War & International Conflict"
  - "War & International Conflict"
---

# 2. Americans’ views of Israelis, Palestinians and their political leadership

Americans express more favorable than unfavorable views of both the Israeli people and the Palestinian people.

[![Chart shows Americans’ views of Israel’s people remain far more positive than its government, though both have grown more negative](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/10/PP_2025.10.03_israel-hamas-war_2-01.png?w=420)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=276176)

But views of political leadership in the region – the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas – are more negative than positive.

Nearly six-in-ten Americans (59%) now have an unfavorable view of the Israeli government, while 68% view the Palestinian Authority negatively and 84% have an unfavorable view of Hamas.

**Views of the Israeli people and the Israeli government are more negative than in previous years, **while views of the Palestinian people have remained relatively stable.

*The Israeli people*

- 56% of U.S. adults say they have a favorable view of the Israeli people.

- This is down 8 percentage points since 2024 and 11 points since 2022.

*The Israeli government*

- 59% of Americans have an unfavorable view of the Israeli government, while 35% have a favorable view.

- These views are more negative than in 2024, when 51% said they had an unfavorable opinion and 41% said they had a favorable opinion.

- In 2022, views were more mixed (47% favorable, 43% unfavorable)

*The Palestinian people*

Views of the Palestinian people have been relatively stable in the United States since 2022. Today, 52% have a favorable opinion of the Palestinian people, compared with 50% in 2024 and 53% in 2022.

Views of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have also remained relatively stable – and largely negative – in the past year:

- 68% have an unfavorable view of the Palestinian Authority (which controls the West Bank), the same share as in 2024.

- An even larger share (84%) has an unfavorable view of Hamas (which has controlled Gaza), also unchanged from 2024.

#### Partisan differences

There are wide partisan gaps in Americans’ views of most of these groups (the exception is Hamas – which is viewed negatively by wide majorities of both Republicans and Democrats).

[![Chart shows Wide partisan gaps in views of Israeli and Palestinian people, Israeli government](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/10/PP_2025.10.03_israel-hamas-war_2-02.png?w=640)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=276177)

*Views of the Israeli people*

- Two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have a favorable view of the Israeli people.

- Democrats and Democratic leaners are split, with as many saying they have a favorable opinion of the Israeli people as an unfavorable view (48% each).

- In both parties, views of the Israeli people are less positive than they were in early 2024.

*Views of the Israeli government*

- A narrow majority of Republicans (55%) say they have a favorable view of the Israeli government, with 41% saying they have an unfavorable opinion.

- Just 18% of Democrats say they have a favorable opinion of the Israeli government, while 77% have an unfavorable view (almost half – 46% – say they have a very unfavorable view).

- Views of the Israeli government have grown more negative in both parties since 2024.

*Views of the Palestinian people*

- 70% of Democrats say they have a favorable opinion of the Palestinian people, while a quarter have an unfavorable opinion.

- A far smaller share of Republicans (37%) view the Palestinian people positively, while 59% say they have an unfavorable view.

*Views of the Palestinian Authority*

- An overwhelming majority of Republicans (82%) say they have an unfavorable view of the Palestinian Authority.

- A smaller majority of Democrats (56%) say they have an unfavorable view of the Palestinian Authority, while 37% say they have a favorable opinion.

*Views of Hamas*

- Overwhelming majorities in both parties say they have an unfavorable view of Hamas (89% of Republicans and 82% of Democrats).

- Two-thirds of Republicans (66%) and about half of Democrats (51%) say they have a very unfavorable opinion of Hamas.

---

**Next:** [3. Concerns about the conflict between Israel and Hamas](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/10/03/concerns-about-the-conflict-between-israel-and-hamas.md)