By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

A major international survey finds Israel facing widespread global disapproval as confidence in Benjamin Netanyahu continues to plummet.

Key Takeaways

• A median of 67 percent across 36 countries hold unfavorable views of Israel, according to a major new Pew survey.
• Majorities in most surveyed countries express little or no confidence in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• The findings reinforce a broader shift in public opinion, including in the United States, where sympathy for Palestinians is rising.

Major Blow

A sweeping new international survey by the Pew Research Center has found that Israel is facing overwhelming negative public opinion across much of the world, with majorities in most countries surveyed expressing unfavorable views of the country and little confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The survey, conducted between February and May 2026 across 36 countries, paints one of the bleakest pictures yet of Israel’s international standing as its genocidal war on Gaza continues to reshape global perceptions.

Most of the polling took place after the United States and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran on February 28.

According to Pew, a median of 67 percent of respondents across all countries surveyed expressed an unfavorable opinion of Israel, while only 25 percent reported favorable views.

Negative perceptions were particularly pronounced across the Muslim world, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.

However, the survey also found widespread opposition in Europe, highlighting the extent to which criticism of Israel has expanded beyond traditionally sympathetic regions.

Europe Among Most Critical

One of the survey’s most striking findings was the depth of negative sentiment recorded across Europe.

Pew found that all European countries surveyed registered relatively negative assessments of Israel.

In Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, around half or more of respondents said they held “very unfavorable” views of the country.

The findings suggest that public discontent with Israeli policies is no longer confined to activist circles or particular political constituencies but has become deeply embedded across broad segments of European society.

Pew also reported that unfavorable views of Israel have increased since 2025 in 13 of the 24 countries where trend data was available.

In Argentina, for example, negative views rose from 46 percent last year to a majority of 55 percent today.

Significant increases were also recorded in Australia, Italy, Nigeria, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

The trend points not merely to persistent criticism of Israel but to a continuing deterioration in the country’s global image.

🚨 PEW STUDY: Anti-Israel sentiment surges across the globe.

Percentage who oppose Israel:

JAPAN – 83%
TURKEY – 97%
SWEDEN – 78%
PAKISTAN – 95%
GERMANY – 73%
SPAIN – 78%
USA – 60%
MALAYSIA – 89%
U.K. – 69%
MEXICO – 59%
CANADA – 65%
SOUTH AFRICA – 58%
AUSTRALIA – 79% pic.twitter.com/eo3e6Yz4t4

— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) June 5, 2026

Youth Driving the Shift

The survey found significant generational divides, particularly in North America and Europe.

Younger adults consistently expressed more negative views of Israel than older generations.

In Hungary, for example, 72 percent of respondents aged 18 to 34 held unfavorable views of Israel, compared with 45 percent of those aged 50 and older. Similar patterns emerged across numerous Western countries.

Political ideology also played a major role.

In country after country, respondents identifying with the political left were significantly more likely than those on the right to hold unfavorable views of Israel.

The ideological divide was particularly pronounced in the United States, where 83 percent of liberals reported unfavorable views of Israel compared with 37 percent of conservatives.

Large gaps were also recorded in Australia, Greece, Spain, Canada, Sweden, France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands.

A Reason for Optimism: America’s Moral Break with Endless War

Netanyahu Has No Credibility

The survey found similarly bleak results for Netanyahu.

Majorities in most countries surveyed reported having little or no confidence in the Israeli leader’s ability to handle world affairs. In many countries, outright rejection was particularly pronounced.

More than half of respondents in countries including Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Turkey said they had no confidence at all in Netanyahu.

Pew also found that confidence in Netanyahu has declined further since 2025 in 13 countries where comparable data exists.

In Italy, the share of respondents expressing no confidence at all in Netanyahu rose dramatically from 45 percent in 2025 to 62 percent this year. Similar declines were recorded across Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa.

Historic Shift: Americans Sympathize More with Palestinians for First Time Ever

Shift Reaches US

The Pew findings come amid mounting evidence of a broader transformation in public opinion, including within Israel’s most important international ally.

Earlier this year, Gallup reported that Americans no longer sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians, marking the first time since the polling organization began asking the question in 2001 that Israel no longer enjoyed a clear advantage.

According to Gallup, 41 percent of Americans now say they sympathize more with Palestinians, compared with 36 percent who sympathize more with Israelis. Just one year earlier, Israelis held a thirteen-point lead.

Gallup also found record-high favorability toward Palestine and near-record support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, particularly among younger Americans, Democrats, and political independents.

(Pew Research Center, Gallup, PC)