Two-thirds of the world now holds an unfavorable view of Israel
Across 36 nations and the span of a single year, the world's regard for Israel and its prime minister has contracted into something resembling diplomatic solitude. A Pew Research Center survey conducted between February and May of 2026 finds two-thirds of humanity holding unfavorable views of Israel, a sentiment sharpened by ongoing military operations in Gaza and against Iran. The fracture runs along generational and ideological lines, suggesting that the estrangement is not merely reactive but structural — a shift in how younger and more progressive populations across continents are orienting themselves toward questions of power, accountability, and suffering.
- A 67% global median of unfavorable views toward Israel marks one of the most documented moments of international isolation for any democratic state in recent memory.
- The rejection is not uniform but concentrated — Muslim-majority nations and much of Europe register the deepest disapproval, while sub-Saharan Africa offers the only meaningful counterweight.
- Year-over-year comparisons across 24 countries show 13 with statistically significant increases in negative sentiment, with Argentina, Italy, and South Korea among the sharpest movers.
- Benjamin Netanyahu's personal credibility has collapsed in most surveyed nations, with only Kenya and the Philippines showing majority trust — a signal of profound diplomatic vulnerability.
- The generational and ideological chasms are striking: in the United States, 83% of liberals view Israel unfavorably against 37% of conservatives, a gap that mirrors patterns across Australia, Europe, and Latin America.
- With military operations in Gaza and against Iran forming the survey's backdrop, the data suggests global opinion is not drifting but responding — and the trajectory points toward further isolation.
A Pew Research Center survey spanning 36 countries and conducted between February and May of 2026 has captured a world increasingly estranged from Israel and its prime minister. The headline figure is unambiguous: 67 percent of respondents globally hold unfavorable views of Israel, against just 25 percent who regard it favorably. The rejection is most intense in Muslim-majority nations — Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Turkey — and across much of Europe, where countries like Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain show roughly half or more of their populations describing their views as "very unfavorable."
In Brazil, 52 percent expressed unfavorable views and 33 percent favorable ones, placing the country alongside Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina in a Latin American landscape where disapproval predominates. Argentina's shift is among the most notable: unfavorable views climbed from 46 percent in 2025 to 55 percent in 2026. Of the 24 countries where year-over-year comparisons were possible, 13 showed statistically significant increases in negative sentiment.
The survey also exposes deep generational and ideological divides. In Hungary, 72 percent of those aged 18 to 34 hold unfavorable views of Israel, compared to 45 percent of those 50 and older. In the United States, 83 percent of liberals view Israel unfavorably versus 37 percent of conservatives — a chasm that reappears across Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and beyond.
Benjamin Netanyahu fares no better as an individual figure. Majorities in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Australia, and the United Kingdom express zero confidence in his ability to handle international affairs. Only Kenya and the Philippines show majority trust. South Korea registered the sharpest single-year drop in confidence, rising from 64 to 76 percent expressing little or no trust. Italy saw those saying they have no confidence in Netanyahu at all jump from 45 to 62 percent in one year.
The survey was conducted against the backdrop of a U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran launched in late February and the continuing devastation in Gaza — contexts that Pew identifies as shaping the global mood. What the data reveals is less a moment of opinion than a consolidation of distance, particularly among the young and the left, whose views on Israel and its leadership have hardened into something that will not easily reverse.
A sweeping survey conducted by the Pew Research Center between February and May of 2026 has documented a sharp erosion in how the world views Israel and its prime minister. The polling spanned 36 countries—Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, South Africa, and dozens more—and the numbers tell a story of deepening isolation.
Globally, the median finding is stark: 67 percent of respondents hold an unfavorable view of Israel, while only 25 percent regard it favorably. The rejection runs deepest in Muslim-majority nations like Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Turkey, as well as in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Gaza was excluded from the survey due to conditions on the ground. Across Europe, the picture is similarly bleak. In Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, roughly half the population or more describes their view of Israel as "very unfavorable." The African subsahara registered some of the survey's more positive assessments, but these remain exceptions to the broader pattern.
In Brazil, 52 percent of respondents expressed unfavorable views, while 33 percent held favorable ones. Among those negative, 13 percent said "very unfavorable" and 39 percent "somewhat unfavorable." Brazil sits alongside Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina as Latin American countries where disapproval predominates. Argentina's shift is particularly notable: unfavorable views rose from 46 percent in 2025 to 55 percent in 2026. Similar increases appeared in Australia, Italy, Nigeria, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Among the 24 countries where year-over-year comparisons were possible, 13 showed statistically significant increases in negative sentiment.
The data reveals sharp divides by age and ideology. In Hungary, 72 percent of people aged 18 to 34 hold unfavorable views, compared to 45 percent of those 50 and older. This generational gap appears across North America and Europe. The ideological split is equally pronounced. In the United States, 83 percent of liberals view Israel unfavorably versus 37 percent of conservatives. Comparable gaps exist in Australia, Spain, France, Sweden, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, and Colombia.
The deterioration extends to Benjamin Netanyahu personally. In most surveyed countries, majorities or near-majorities say they have little or no confidence in the prime minister's ability to handle international affairs. More than half the populations in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom expressed zero trust in him. Only Kenya and the Philippines showed majority confidence. Among the 24 countries with comparable data from the previous year, 13 registered declines in Netanyahu's credibility. South Korea saw the sharpest drop: 76 percent now express little or no confidence in him, up from 64 percent a year earlier. In Italy, those saying they have no confidence in Netanyahu at all rose from 45 percent to 62 percent in a single year.
Young people and left-leaning voters consistently express more negative assessments of Netanyahu than older and conservative populations, mirroring the pattern seen with Israel itself. The Pew Research Center, one of the United States' leading independent polling institutions, conducted this survey against a specific backdrop: a military campaign launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel against Iran, and the ongoing devastation in Gaza. These events form the context in which global opinion has shifted.
Citas Notables
In the United States, 83% of liberals view Israel unfavorably versus 37% of conservatives— Pew Research Center survey findings
In Hungary, 72% of people aged 18 to 34 hold unfavorable views, compared to 45% of those 50 and older— Pew Research Center survey findings
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What strikes you most about these numbers?
The consistency. It's not scattered rejection—it's systematic. Two-thirds of the world, globally. And it's not just anger; it's a collapse of trust in the person leading the country.
The generational piece is interesting. Why would young people be so much more negative?
They're coming of age with social media, with unfiltered images from Gaza, with a different information landscape than their parents had. And they're less bound by Cold War narratives or historical sympathies that shaped older voters.
Brazil's at 52 percent unfavorable. Is that surprising for a country that's been relatively moderate on Middle East issues?
Not really. Brazil sits in a region—Latin America—where disapproval is now the norm. And Brazil itself has a large Arab diaspora, a left-leaning political culture in recent years. The numbers reflect that.
Only Kenya and the Philippines trust Netanyahu. What does that tell you?
That his credibility is essentially gone in the developed world and in most of the Global South. Those two outliers are notable precisely because they're outliers. Everywhere else, he's toxic.
The timing matters, doesn't it? The survey ran through May 2026, after the Iran campaign started.
Exactly. This isn't abstract disapproval. People are watching military escalation, watching Gaza, and forming opinions in real time. The numbers are a direct response to events.
What happens next? Does this matter diplomatically?
It matters enormously. Governments care about public opinion, especially on foreign policy. When two-thirds of the world distrusts your leader, it constrains what you can do internationally. Alliances weaken. Soft power evaporates.