Israelis’ approval of US leadership drops since Oct. 7 Hamas attack

The approval rating in Israel of U.S. leaders has dropped since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, a new survey found.

Sixty-three percent of Israelis approve of U.S. leadership, according to a new survey conducted by Gallup, which is down from a year ago though still higher than other points in the past two decades.

The approval rating of U.S. leadership climbed to its record high of 81 percent after President Biden visited Israel in mid-October, shortly after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing more than 1,100 and taking about 200 hostages.

Since then, approval ratings have dropped 18 points as Israel continues a multifront war against Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The killings of tens of thousands in Gaza have led to considerable criticism of Israel’s government in the United States and has been a political issue for Biden.

On Tuesday, Iran launched missiles at Israel in response to the killings of leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas by Israel. Both militant groups, recognized as terrorist groups by the U.S. government, are tied to Iran.

Israel has vowed to respond to that attack.

The escalation is sparking concerns that an all-out regional war could ensue, almost exactly a year after the conflict in the Middle East began.

The United States is Israel’s strongest ally and has supported it with military support since last year. While Biden argues Israel has the right to defend itself, over time, he has grown frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and pushed for more to be done to reach a cease-fire.

The survey found that while many Americans and those around the world are angry with Netanyahu’s military force, Israelis have also lost confidence in their government. In 2023, 44 percent of Israelis had confidence in Netanyahu; now just 40 percent have confidence.   

The survey was conducted July 7 through Aug. 16 among 1,001 adults living in Israel. It has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points. Gallup noted the sample does not include the area of East Jerusalem and unsafe or evacuated areas were not included in the survey.