Poll reveals that one in three French people believe Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza

A survey by the Institute YouGov for the PIPD – Palestine Institute for Public Democracy – assessed how 5 European countries perceive Palestinian issues: France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Sweden.

The objectives of this opinion poll were to evaluate the perception of the different populations surveyed in relation to Palestinian rights and the Palestinian cause, and their country's policies on the subject. The institute behind this survey, the PIPD, is an independent NGO dedicated to the citizen diplomacy of the Palestinian people for liberation. In their press release relating to the publication of the survey this Tuesday, April 16, the director of the PIPD – Inès Abdel Razek – declares that “Tens of thousands of people continue to take to the streets and mobilize to denounce the genocide in Gaza and the complicity of the government which has chosen to continue its cooperation and relations with the Israeli regime while criminalizing and repressing solidarity with the Palestine. The poll and the data do not lie: government policy is clearly not in line with public opinion.”

Indeed, the poll shows that at least half of people of voting age support banning the arms trade with Israel (Italy-65%, Belgium-62%, Sweden-50%, France-51%, Germany -49%), while a significant number of people are aware of allegations that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and believe these allegations to be true (Italy-49%, Sweden-46%, Belgium-43 %, France-34%, Germany-33%).

The survey also shows that there is a clear generational factor. Younger people – aged 18 to 24 – were found to be more aware of Israel's violation of Palestinian rights, including genocide, and more distinctly support banning the arms trade. In general, however, the sanctions against Israel are widely approved, in particular the ban on the arms trade (Italy-65%, Belgium-62%, France-51%, Sweden-50%, Germany-50%) and the prosecution of Israeli officials for war crimes (Italy-62%, Belgium-61%, Germany-51%, France-51%, Sweden-49%).

More respondents believe their government currently supports Israel more than Palestine – with the exception of Belgium: 16% (Germany – 44%, France – 29%, Italy – 36%, Sweden – 25%) and more people think their government should be more supportive of the Palestinians or – at least – have a more balanced position (Belgium – 45%, Germany – 49%, France – 43%, Italy – 52%, Sweden – 48%).

The poll also reveals that a significant number of people believe that media coverage in their country is more biased in favor of Israel (Germany-30%, Belgium-23%, France-30%, Italy-36%, Sweden- 18%) rather than impartial (Germany-30%, Belgium-24%, France-18%, Italy-21%, Sweden-28%) or partial towards the Palestinians (Germany-9%, Belgium-21%, France -10%, Italy-9%, Sweden-24%).

The French results of the survey

The total French sample consisted of 1,283 adults and was weighted to be representative of all adults in France (aged over 18 years). The survey was conducted online from March 11 to 18, 2024. All figures, unless otherwise noted, are from YouGov Plc.

The results of the opinion poll for the French sample revealed that:

If a significant part of the French public is aware of the Palestinian cause, the majority (53%) is not well informed;
One in three French people (34%) think that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza;
Among French adults who have an opinion on the issue, half consider Israeli policy to be colonialism (58%) and apartheid (47%);
More than half consider Palestinian rights to be closely linked to freedom (62%) and the fight for equality (54%);
29% of respondents consider their government supportive of Israel, while 43% believe it should be more supportive of Palestine or balanced;
Half of French people (51%) are in favor of a ban on the arms trade with Israel and the prosecution of Israeli officials for war crimes;
About one in three (30%) perceive media bias in favor of Israel, while only 10% perceive bias in favor of the Palestinians;
45% of those surveyed believe that content critical of Israel is at least partly censored on social networks;
Among those who have an opinion on the issue, a majority (70%) believe that Israel's actions undermine Palestinian freedom of expression online.

Thus, a significant part of society (34%) thinks that Israel is committing a “genocide” against the Palestinians of Gaza, while one in five French people (17%) think that it is an “apartheid “. Sanctions against Israel are widely supported, particularly measures such as banning arms trade with Israel and prosecuting Israeli officials for war crimes. And finally, very few people think their government has taken the right position on the current situation in Gaza and the majority of those who expressed an opinion think their government should be more supportive of the Palestinians or take an at least impartial position.

Overall, more than half of French people say they lack knowledge and opinions on the issue (53% say they are little or not at all aware of issues concerning Palestinians and their rights).

The PIPD press release states, following these results, that “ a generational difference is clearly emerging with the famous “generation Z”, which could mark an important turning point in the future. Young people see a closer connection between global social justice issues (equality, anti-racism, freedom) and support for the Palestinian cause.“

“Young people (18-24) also understand the intersection of social justice issues better than others, with a large proportion of young people believing that Palestine and Palestinian rights are issues related to the fight against racism (62%), freedom (74%) and the fight for equality (63%), which gives great potential for broader alliances and mobilization around shared values. » also adds the Institute.

Palestine Media Agency