More than half of American Jews believe Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza, and four in 10 say its actions amount to genocide, according to a poll published Saturday by The Washington Post. The findings, the paper reported, signal the possibility of a historic rupture in ties between U.S. Jewry and Israel after decades of close connection.
The survey also showed sharp criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: 68% of respondents gave him a negative rating, with nearly half calling his performance “poor.” That marks a 20-point increase in disapproval since the last Pew Research Center survey five years ago. At the same time, 94% said Hamas committed war crimes against Israelis.
The Jewish community itself remains divided: 46% back Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, while 48% oppose it. Among the broader U.S. public, support is much lower, at just 32%. “Initially, Israel in a sense had no choice,” said Julia Seidman, a Washington-based writer. “But in no way does that justify what is happening now, two years later. The amount of human suffering that we are seeing now … I’m just disgusted.”
Despite the criticism, most U.S. Jews still view Israel as central to Jewish identity: 76% said the state’s existence is essential to the Jewish future, and 58% feel a cultural or emotional connection to Israeli Jews. “The existence of Israel is very important to the Jewish people,” said Bob Haas, a business consultant from Pennsylvania. “But the way the Netanyahu government has conducted itself does nothing to safeguard Jews, in Israel or around the world.”
The poll points to deep polarization: 80% of Jewish Republicans support the Gaza campaign, compared with half of independents and just a third of Democrats. Men were more likely than women to support Israel, while respondents with higher education were less supportive. A stark generational gap also emerged: 56% of Jews overall reported an “emotional connection” to Israel, but that number dropped to 36% among those aged 18 to 34. Among younger Jews, half said Israel is committing genocide, compared with about a third of older respondents.
The growing criticism among American Jews has given new legitimacy to senior Democrats voicing opposition to Israel. In July, most Senate Democrats voted to block an arms sale to Israel, a proposal defeated by Republican opposition. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish, has led calls to limit military aid. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, also Jewish, has pushed for more humanitarian aid to Gaza and in the past urged Netanyahu to resign.
President Donald Trump, by contrast, has continued to embrace Netanyahu and defend Israel’s conduct in Gaza, though his messaging has primarily targeted conservative evangelical voters rather than Jews. Trump has complained that American Jews “do not appreciate enough” his support for Israel.
Still, about 60% of Jews said they favor continued U.S. military aid to Israel in its fight against Hamas, even as many criticize its scope. When asked about overall U.S. support for Israel, 47% called it “about right,” 32% said it was excessive and 20% said it was insufficient — a 10-point rise from 2020 and a 21-point rise compared with 2013 Pew surveys.
On the question of genocide, the community was split: 39% said Israel is committing genocide, while 51% said it is not. While 91% blamed Hamas for prolonging the war, 80% also blamed Israel, 86% blamed Netanyahu and 61% held the United States partly responsible. Nearly 60% said Israel is not doing enough to allow food into Gaza.
Even so, 59% of American Jews still believe a peace deal between Israel and a future Palestinian state is possible. Sixty-two percent said Gaza should be governed by an elected Palestinian administration, while just 4% said Hamas should control it.
The survey, conducted September 2–9 among 815 American Jews of varying levels of religious and cultural identification, has a margin of error of 4.7%.
It comes a month after a joint study by the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Rochester, which also found declining Jewish support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. That poll showed only 31% of U.S. Jews supported the operation, while 58% opposed it — including significant skepticism even among conservative and Orthodox respondents. Researchers said the data reflect a steady trend of emotional and political distancing from Israel since the war began.
That study also highlighted concerns about rising antisemitism on U.S. campuses and its politicization. Seventy-two percent of respondents said they were worried about campus antisemitism, but 60% criticized the Trump administration for turning the issue into a political tool.