Public opinion of Israel has plunged to record lows across Western Europe, with widespread condemnation of its military operations in Gaza, according to the latest YouGov EuroTrack survey.
The survey, conducted in Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, reveals a stark shift in sentiment, with net favourability ratings for Israel reaching their lowest levels since tracking began in 2016.
Britain (-46), Germany (-44), France (-48), and Denmark (-54) all recorded historic or near-historic lows in public opinion towards Israel.
Italy (-52) and Spain (-55) also showed deepening disapproval, matching or surpassing previous nadirs dating back to 2021.
In each of the six countries surveyed, only 13% to 21% of respondents expressed a favourable view of Israel, while 63% to 70% said their opinion was unfavourable.
Western Europeans are also overwhelmingly critical of Israel’s military strategy in Gaza.
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Just 6% to 16% believe that Israel’s deployment of ground troops and broader response to Hamas attacks have been proportionate — a slight decrease from similar polling conducted in October 2023.
Support for the justification of Israel’s actions hovers between 9% and 25%, with Italy recording the lowest approval.
At the same time, the original Hamas attacks in late 2023 have received little endorsement, with only 5% to 9% across the six nations saying those actions were justified.
However, sympathy among Europeans appears to be shifting more decisively toward the Palestinian side.
Between 18% and 33% of respondents say they sympathise more with Palestinians, compared to just 7% to 18% for Israelis.
Germany is the only country where sentiment is almost evenly split.
Expectations for peace in the Middle East are also on the decline.
Just 29% of French respondents believe peace is possible within the next decade — the highest among the six countries — while only 15% of Danes share that view.
