A Pew Global Attitudes survey taken in March-May of this year before the outbreak of the current violence, found that in the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, Americans were the most sympathetic towards Israel of the 15 nations surveyed. Among the U.S. public, a 48%-plurality sympathized with Israel. Only 13% of Americans sympathized with the Palestinians, while 4% said both sides and 14% said neither side. European countries were divided in their views: a 29%-plurality in Great Britain and 32% of Spaniards sided with the Palestinians, in Germany (37%-18%) and Russia (21%-16%) the publics sided with Israel, while the French public divided its sympathies evenly between Israel and the Palestinians (38%-38%). In most Muslim nations surveyed, vast majorities sided with the Palestinians, including 97% of the public in Jordan. Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.