February 12, 2024 – As the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza drags on, new data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians’ sympathies shifting.
At the outset of the conflict, there was a 10-point gap between Canadians who said their sympathies were mostly with the Israelis (28%) and those whose sympathies were more with the Palestinians (18%). Now, the number of Canadians saying they sympathize with one side or the other has drawn near-even. One-third (33%) say their sympathies are “about equal” between both sides.
This comes amid a growing view among Canadians that the destruction wrought by Israel’s military response in Gaza after the Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7 has been too severe. Half of Canadians (50%) believe Israel’s response has been “too heavy-handed”, a five-point increase from November. There is also doubt among Canadians that Israel will be able to achieve its proclaimed goals of eradicating Hamas and freeing the hostages. Three-in-ten (29%) believe neither goal will be reached, more than the one-in-five (19%) who say both goals are achievable.
Concerns over the growing Palestinian death toll in the conflict has sparked allegations of genocide levied by South Africa in the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice. Canadians are divided on the premise of South Africa’s case but lean towards believing Israel is in fact committing genocide against Palestinians (41%) than not (32%).
These doubts and concerns fuel growing support among Canadians to a see a full ceasefire between the two sides. Half (49%) of Canadians now want a full and lasting cessation of the conflict, while one-in-six (17%) believe if a ceasefire is called it should only be temporary. Approaching one-in-five (18%) believe no ceasefire should be called at this time. In November, Canadians leaned towards believing the ceasefire should be temporary (35%) rather than permanent (30%).
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government have faced criticism earlier in the conflict for being slow to call for a ceasefire after Canada abstained from an October UN vote on the subject before supporting a later resolution in December. The government has also faced criticism after the December ceasefire vote from Liberal MPs, who argued the later resolution did not impose enough conditions on Hamas. As Canada walks a fine line in the conflict, Canadians see the federal government performing more poorly than not on a number of measures, including representing Canada internationally, effectively communicating its position, standing up for international law, and ensuring the country is on the right side of history.
More Key Findings:
- Canadians lean towards believing the government has sided too much with Israel (26%) than the Palestinians (18%) while one-in-five (20%) believe Trudeau and the Liberal government have struck the right balance.
- A majority see Hamas as a major detriment to lasting peace in Israel. Two-thirds (66%) believe peace is impossible as long as the organization is operating in Gaza.
- A majority (61%) of Canadians see the two-state solution as key to the peace process.
About ARI
The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) was founded in October 2014 by pollster and sociologist, Dr. Angus Reid. ARI is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research foundation established to advance education by commissioning, conducting and disseminating to the public accessible and impartial statistical data, research and policy analysis on economics, political science, philanthropy, public administration, domestic and international affairs and other socio-economic issues of importance to Canada and its world.
