Should countries recognize Palestine? New poll finds consensus among Americans

Most Americans believe it is time for the world to recognize Palestinian statehood, according to new polling.

In the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, 58% of respondents said that all countries in the United Nations should recognize the state of Palestine. Meanwhile, 33% said they disagreed and 9% did not provide an answer.

The poll — which sampled 4,446 U.S. adults — was conducted after the leaders of France, Canada and the U.K. announced their intention to officially acknowledge Palestinian statehood.

The vast majority of U.N. member states, about 147 out of 193, already recognize Palestine as a sovereign nation, leaving the U.S. and many of its western allies as global outliers.

The survey appears to mark a shift in U.S. public opinion, with an increasing number of Americans favoring recognition of Palestinian statehood. By comparison, in a May 2023 YouGov poll, just 37% of respondents said the U.S. government should formally acknowledge the state of Palestine. A plurality of respondents were uncertain.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll — which has a margin of error of about 2 percentage points — also found that most Americans, 59%, believe Israel’s military actions in Gaza have been excessive. About one-third of respondents said they disagreed.

Additionally, 65% said that the U.S. should “take action in Gaza to help people facing starvation.” Twenty-eight percent said they disagreed, including 41% of Republicans.

The survey comes nearly two years into Israel’s war in Gaza, which has left over 62,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza health officials.

Many of the territory’s inhabitants now face starvation amid Israeli restrictions on aid, and hundreds have been killed while trying to get food, according to U.N. officials, who said the instances could “constitute crimes against humanity.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied anyone is starving in the enclave, while President Donald Trump has said there is “real starvation” in the ravaged area.

The conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 civilians and taking more than 200 hostages.

Hamas on Aug. 18 said it accepted a ceasefire proposal brought by Arab negotiators, according to the Associated Press. Israeli officials — preparing for an assault on Gaza City — have not yet weighed in.

The same day, Trump seemed to downplay the proposal, writing on Truth Social, “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be.”

This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Should countries recognize Palestine? New poll finds consensus among Americans."