A new Reuters/Ipsos poll has found that a majority of Americans back the international recognition of a Palestinian State.
According to the poll, 58% of Americans believe that every UN member state should recognize Palestine as a country, while only 33% disagree.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted over 6 days, weeks after several countries, including France, the UK and Canada, declared they would recognize the State of Palestine in September.
It also took place as Hamas accepted a new Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal, while Israel was considering the Palestinian movement’s response. The proposed deal includes a 60-day truce during which a number of Palestinian prisoners will be freed in return for half of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages.
Gaza is enduring a widespread starvation, amid warnings that Palestinians in the enclave are on the brink of famine. This has led several European nations, as well as Britain, Canada and Australia, to say that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached “unimaginable levels.”
In the light of this, most of the respondents to the Reuters/Ipsos poll see that the US should take action to mitigate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. 65% of Americans say that the US should help people who are facing starvation in Gaza, with only 28% disagreeing.
Meanwhile, 59% of Americans believe that Israel’s military response in Gaza has been excessive. The war in Gaza has so far claimed the lives of over 62,100 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Furthermore, malnutrition-related deaths have reached 296 Palestinians, including 112 children. Israel is pressing ahead with a plan to expand its military campaign in Gaza, including the full takeover of Gaza City and displacing its people to the south of the enclave.
