Israelis, Palestinians and Americans hold starkly different views about the war in Iran, according to a new Pew Research Center study that found Israelis overwhelmingly believe the conflict will improve security, while Palestinians expect the opposite and Americans remain deeply divided.
The report, released Tuesday, surveyed adults in Israel, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the United States following the conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran and ended with a ceasefire in early April. Researchers found significant disagreements not only about whether military action was justified, but also about its long-term consequences for regional stability, civilian safety and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Among Israelis, 75% said the United States made the right decision in attacking Iran, while just 19% said it was the wrong decision. Palestinians surveyed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem took the opposite view, with 80% calling the attack the wrong decision and only 2% saying it was the right one. Americans fell in between, though a majority — 59% — said the United States made the wrong decision, compared with 38% who supported the military action.
Researchers found Israelis generally optimistic about the conflict’s long-term effects. More than half said the war would make both Israel and the world safer, and many believed it would reduce the likelihood that Iran develops a nuclear weapon. Israelis were also more likely to say the conflict would ultimately benefit the Iranian people than harm them.
Palestinians expressed a far different outlook. Majorities said the war would make themselves, Palestine and the broader world less safe. Many also believed the conflict would increase the likelihood of Iran developing nuclear weapons rather than reduce it. Nearly half said the Iranian people would be worse off as a result of the fighting.
Americans offered a more mixed assessment. About one-third said the war would make the world less safe, while 27% said it would make the world safer. Americans were also nearly evenly split over whether military action would reduce, increase or have little effect on Iran’s chances of developing a nuclear weapon. More respondents believed the Iranian people would be worse off than better off in the long run.
The survey also found sharp partisan divisions in the United States. Seven in 10 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said the military action was the right decision, while 90% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said it was the wrong one. Republicans were generally more likely to believe the war would improve security and hinder Iran’s nuclear program, while Democrats were more skeptical of those outcomes.
Views also differed dramatically on whether the countries involved were doing enough to avoid civilian casualties. Nearly three-quarters of Israelis said both Israel and the United States were taking adequate steps to protect civilians. In contrast, only about one in five Palestinians agreed regarding either country. Americans were divided over U.S. efforts, with 41% saying the United States was doing enough and 45% saying it was not.
The study found major differences in perceptions of personal safety as well. More than half of Israelis said the conflict would make them safer in the long run, while 68% of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem said it would make them less safe. Researchers also found significant disparities in access to bomb shelters, with roughly nine in 10 Israelis reporting access to a shelter compared with only 7% of Palestinians surveyed.
Pew researchers said the findings highlight how dramatically perspectives on the conflict differ depending on geography, political affiliation and personal experience, even after the fighting itself has ended.
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