Most Germans view Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide: Survey

BERLIN

A new survey released on Tuesday showed 62% of German voters believe Israeli actions in Gaza constitute genocide, putting increasing pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government to reassess its stance toward Israel.

The representative poll conducted by YouGov showed that the sentiment crosses political lines, with 60% of voters from Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc viewing Israel's military campaign as genocide against Palestinians. Among voters of coalition partner Social Democratic Party (SPD), the figure was even higher at 71%.

While Chancellor Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul have recently sharpened their criticism of Israel's military offensive and blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza, they have so far avoided using the term "genocide," referring instead to "disproportionate" use of force by the Israeli military.

According to the survey, two-thirds (67%) of Germans now hold a negative or somewhat negative opinion of Israel. Only about one in five respondents (19%) express a positive or somewhat positive view, indicating a significant decline in public perception of Israel in recent months.

The representative survey also revealed a significant gap between German government policy and public opinion on Palestinian statehood. Despite the Merz government's opposition to recognizing a Palestinian state, 44% of German voters supported such recognition, up from 41% in May 2025 and 40% in June 2024. Only 23% opposed recognition, while 33% remained undecided.

Germany found itself internationally isolated this week as its close allies France, the UK, and several other European partners, including Belgium, Portugal and Malta, announced their recognition of Palestinian statehood, while Berlin maintained its opposition to immediate recognition.

Last week, Chancellor Merz argued that while Berlin supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it believes Palestinian statehood recognition should be an outcome of diplomatic negotiations rather than a prerequisite to the peace process.

Merz has repeatedly emphasized Germany's historical responsibility for Israel due to the country's Nazi past, and also opposed proposed EU sanctions against the Netanyahu government designed to pressure Tel Aviv to end its brutal military campaign in Gaza that has claimed the lives of more than 65,000 Palestinians since October 2023.