Most Americans Support Palestinian State Recognition Despite Trump Opposition, New Poll Reveals
Most Americans back U.S. government recognition of Palestine as a state, despite President Donald Trump's continued opposition to such recognition, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday. The survey results demonstrate that Americans overwhelmingly support Palestinian state recognition, yet the Trump administration maintains its opposition to this recognition.
The survey, conducted over 6 days with 4,385 participants from across the United States, revealed that 59% of respondents supported Palestinian state recognition, 33% opposed it, and some participants chose not to answer or remained undecided. The survey results demonstrate significant partisan differences, which could alter American foreign policy discussions about the Israeli-Palestinian.
Partisan Chasm Widens on Middle East Policy
The survey results show Democrats and Republicans have different beliefs about Palestinian statehood because 80% of Democrats support recognition, but only 41% of Republicans do. The survey shows that 58% of independent voters support U.S. recognition of Palestinian statehood, but 28% oppose it.
The survey results show that 53% of Trump supporters from the Republican party reject Palestinian state recognition, although 41% of GOP members disagree with their party leaders about this issue. The president’s absolute refusal to recognize Palestinian statehood faces potential political risks because it divides his own party’s supporters.
Reuters Politics Editor Scott Malone, together with Digital Producer Kristy Kilburn, examined survey data that shows Americans now hold different views about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The survey results from August 2025 show that 58% of Americans support UN member states in recognizing Palestine as an independent nation.
Trump Administration Maintains Hardline Stance
The Trump administration continues to oppose independent Palestinian state recognition because it supports direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations for statehood instead of international diplomatic intervention. Trump used his United Nations General Assembly speech in September to criticize the increasing international backing for Palestinian statehood recognition because he saw it as a validation of Hamas’s illegal activities.
“As if to encourage continued conflict, some members of this assembly are seeking to recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally.”
— President Donald Trump, UN General Assembly address, September 23, 2025
The Arab Center in Washington, D.C., tracks U.S. policy developments in 2025 and states that the Trump administration views Palestinian state recognition as a meaningless act. During his recent press conference, Trump answered questions about Israeli-Palestinian peace solutions by saying, “A lot of people like the one-state solution. Some like the two-state solution. We’ll have to see. I haven’t commented on that,” according to The Hill.
Ambassador Mike Huckabee stated to Al Arabiya English in August that the administration does not support Palestinian statehood and asked European leaders to review their Palestinian state recognition policies. Secretary of State Marco Rubio supports Israeli opposition to statehood recognition because he believes it strengthens Hamas and hinders peace negotiations, according to various news sources.
International Recognition Accelerates
The international community shows growing support for Palestinian state recognition, as polling data indicates that 157 of 193 UN member states (81% of the global body) have recognized Palestine. The United Nations General Assembly has recognized 20 new states since 2020, with 10 of those occurring during the current Gaza conflict.
Multiple major U.S. allies, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, and San Marino, recognized Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly through a coordinated diplomatic effort in September, which Israel and the Trump administration strongly opposed. The governments of Belgium and Andorra established conditional recognition contingent on specific governance reforms and security protocols.
French President Emmanuel Macron explained his country’s recognition of Palestine on September 22 as a responsible step toward peace instead of an Israel-related criticism. Macron explained that state recognition would strengthen the Palestinian Authority while removing Hamas from governance, lead to hostage releases, and establish conditions for a two-state solution.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer explained his nation’s recognition process by stating that the Middle East crisis required immediate action to protect peace negotiations for a two-state solution, according to Al Jazeera. The current situation lacks both a secure Israel and a functioning Palestinian state, according to Starmer.
The Trump administration investigated possible sanctions against nations that recognized Palestinian statehood, according to Politico, which reported Israel and the United States made strong threats against states that recognized Palestinian statehood during the UN General Assembly. The European nations that recognized Palestine have not received any official sanctions from the United States.
Americans Perceive Israel’s Gaza Response as Excessive
The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 60 percent of participants believed Israel used excessive force during its Gaza military operations after Hamas launched its attack on October 7, 2023, but 32 percent disagreed with this assessment. The survey results show how American public support for Israeli military actions in Gaza has decreased because multiple recent polls indicate decreasing backing for Israel.
The Gallup survey from July 2025 revealed that 32 percent of Americans backed Israel’s Gaza military actions, which represented a 10 percentage point drop from September 2024 and created a new record low since Gallup began tracking this question in 2023. The survey results showed that Americans were divided into different age groups and political affiliations because Democrats and people under 35 demonstrated less than 10 percent support for Israel’s Gaza military actions.
The Israeli military has destroyed most Palestinian homes in Gaza since the conflict began, according to Gaza health officials, who report 60,000 Palestinian deaths, and 70 percent of buildings are now ruins. The international community now demands immediate peace agreements and enduring political solutions that establish Palestinian autonomy.
Public Willing to Credit Trump for Peace Efforts
Despite their negative views about his foreign policy strategy. The survey shows 51 percent of participants support giving Trump major credit for the success of peace efforts, but 42 percent oppose this assessment.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates that Americans will support Trump’s diplomatic efforts if his Gaza peace plan succeeds, with 25% of Democrats supporting giving Him major credit for a peace deal, even though they strongly disapprove of his presidential performance. The Hill reports that 83% of Republicans support giving Trump credit for peace initiatives.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump's foreign policy approval ratings reached 38% in the latest survey, up from 33% in the October survey before the ceasefire agreement took effect. The approval rating for Trump’s foreign policy stands at its highest point since July 2025, but it remains below the typical level needed for strong presidential support.
The president established a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which brought peace to the region in mid-October after two years of destructive conflict. The fragile truce is at risk due to ongoing violence, requiring Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to make frequent diplomatic trips between regional capitals to maintain the agreement.
Trump’s 21-Point Peace Framework Faces Skepticism.
Trump unveiled his 21-point Gaza peace plan at the UN General Assembly in September to present it to Arab and Muslim leaders. The framework demands hostage release within 48 hours while offering amnesty to Hamas members who support peace, and establishes a path for Palestinian statehood, and requires Israel to free 250 prisoners with life sentences and 1,700 Gazans arrested after October 7, according to various news sources.
The plan outlines a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza territory, while international organizations will handle reconstruction work, and Arab peacekeeping forces might establish a security presence. The plan fails to address essential matters about Hamas weapon disarmament, Israeli military withdrawal, and Palestinian territory management.