A clear majority of Americans — including four in five Democrats and a sizable share of Republicans — believe the United States should formally recognize a Palestinian state, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll that highlights widening gaps between public sentiment and President Donald Trump’s current Middle East policy.

The six-day survey, completed Monday, found 59% of respondents favored U.S. recognition of Palestinian statehood, while 33% opposed it and the remainder were undecided. Support was especially high among Democrats (80%) but also notable among Republicans, 41% of whom said they would back recognition despite Trump’s opposition.

Roughly half of Republican voters — 53% — said they oppose the move, reflecting the growing ideological divide inside Trump’s own party on U.S. involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The results come as several key U.S. allies — including Britain, Canada, France, and Australia — have moved to formally recognize a Palestinian state in recent weeks, drawing sharp condemnation from Israel and a pointed rebuke from Trump, who has vowed to block any such U.S. action.

Sixty percent of respondents said Israel’s military response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror assault — which killed some 1,200 Israelis and led to the capture of 251 hostages — has been “excessive.” Only 32% disagreed.

Trump has stood firmly behind Israel’s war effort but has also taken credit for brokering a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas earlier this month.

The survey indicates Americans are prepared to reward Trump politically if his plan succeeds: 51% said he “deserves significant credit” if peace takes hold, while 42% disagreed. Even among Democrats — just 5% of whom approve of Trump overall — one in four said he should receive credit if the truce endures.

Despite the temporary calm, officials warn the road ahead remains fraught. A deadly attack on IDF forces by Hamas threatened to unravel the week-old cease-fire, and U.S. diplomats have been working to pull both sides back from escalation.

Under Trump’s plan, the new International Security Force is tasked with disarming Hamas and overseeing Gaza’s demilitarization — but key questions remain over the timing of further Israeli troop withdrawals and who will govern the territory once the process is complete.

Hamas still retains 13 bodies of hostages that were to be returned under the cease-fire terms, claiming they remain buried beneath rubble in northern Gaza.

The survey found Trump’s approval on foreign policy ticked up modestly to 38%, from 33% earlier this month — his highest rating in that category since July.

That bump reflects what pollsters describe as “cautious optimism” among Americans hoping the Gaza cease-fire can hold and wary of an indefinite U.S. entanglement.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)