Public support for Israel falls to record lows across western Europe

LONDON

Israel’s ongoing assaults in Gaza and its obstruction of humanitarian aid have caused public support across Western Europe to plummet to an unprecedented low, according to a U.K.-based public opinion survey,

Israel drew criticism from several countries, including Germany, its closest ally in Europe, especially after it decided to impose an aid blockade on the strip.

A survey conducted by the U.K.-based polling firm YouGov across Western Europe revealed that public support for Israel has dropped to its lowest levels.

Conducted between May 12 and 26 in six countries with 8,625 participants, the poll showed that fewer than one in five respondents had a positive view of Israel.

The proportion of those sympathetic to Israel ranged from 13 to 21 percent across the countries, while those with negative views ranged from 63 to 70 percent. When the percentage of positive opinions was subtracted from the negative ones, the results showed a net negative rating of 44 percent in Germany, 48 percent in France and 54 percent in Denmark — the worst figures recorded in these countries since 2016.

In Italy and Spain, the results were the most negative since 2021.

However, in the United Kingdom, negative perceptions of Israel slightly declined from 49 percent at the end of last year to 46 percent.