An international survey conducted by the DAAD Centre for German Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem indicates a shift in public opinion across Germany and other European nations, moving increasingly away from support for Israel and toward support for the Palestinians amid the Gaza conflict. The findings were reported by the German newspaper “Welt am Sonntag”.
When asked if they had become more pro-Israel, respondents in Germany, France, the UK, and Poland indicated this much less frequently compared to two years prior. In each of these countries, the proportion of people who claimed to be more pro-Israel was between four and ten percent. Conversely, the number of individuals reporting that the conflict had pushed them toward pro-Palestinian views has risen. In Germany, this share increased from 14 percent in 2024 (the previous survey) to 19 percent in the latest study. The most significant shift occurred in Poland, where the percentage of those who reported becoming more pro-Palestinian jumped from only 14 percent two years ago to 30 percent today. Notably, a relative majority of respondents in all the examined countries stated that the war had not changed their original opinions (46 percent in Germany).
The ongoing conflict may also be influencing Germans’ view of whether the security of Israel should be considered a core principle of German foreign policy (a “State Reason”). Two years ago, a relative majority of German respondents (45 percent) affirmed this principle of German foreign policy. However, the current survey showed this figure had dropped to only 37 percent. Despite this shift, a minority of 22 percent still explicitly rejects this “State Reason.” Furthermore, the group of undecided respondents in this matter has grown slightly, now making up the relative majority at 42 percent.
