67% Global Unfavorable View Does Not Sway Israeli Voters Ahead of Tuesday Vote

Israeli voters go to the polls on Oct. 27 with global standing far from their minds.

A Pew Research Center survey conducted between February and May found a median of 67% of adults held an unfavorable view of Israel across 36 countries. Reports of Israeli travelers facing harassment abroad have increased alongside that figure. A group of tourists in Montenegro was asked in July if they were taking a break from genocide. An Israeli woman said a restaurant in Greece refused to serve her. A mother and daughter were allegedly beaten in Thailand, and a couple checking into a California hotel was asked if they were baby killers.

The diplomatic environment has also tightened. A growing number of world leaders have called Israel's military action in Gaza disproportionate. Violence by settlers in the West Bank and government policy there have led some countries, including allies, to pull back or impose sanctions.

Yaakov Katz, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that complaints exist about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government failing to explain its actions abroad. Katz said most Israelis view the problem as beyond their control. "There is the argument that Netanyahu makes, which is that no matter what we do, the whole world's against us, and no matter what we say, it's antisemitism," said Katz, co-author of "While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East." "People accept that argument, and to a large extent, they don't push back on it."

Katz said many Israelis believe rising antisemitism would continue regardless of Israeli policy. He added that the average Israeli does not fully grasp that declining support, particularly in the United States, could eventually have "existential consequences for the country." He said most people do not think that far ahead, taking comfort instead in President Donald Trump's endorsement of Netanyahu.

Ofir Dayan, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said Israelis are aware of foreign criticism but prioritize other issues after more than three years of war. "Israeli voters are very much one-issue voters, and the issue in this election is security," Dayan said. "We're not remote enough from Oct. 7 for people to completely shift their vote and vote based on this idea."

Peter Lerner, former Israel Defense Forces spokesman for the international press, told JTA that Israel's international standing ranks behind two factors: "Netanyahu or not Netanyahu, and the left vs. the right." He said the topic rarely comes up in conversation, and when it does, it comes second.

Of the roughly dozen parties expected to win Knesset seats, few have offered public diplomacy plans. The B'Yachad Party, led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, proposes a non-voting observer in the Knesset to focus on ties with world Jewry. Amcha Yisrael, led by former IDF Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter, lists public diplomacy activists Yoseph Haddad and Fleur Hassan-Nahoum. Journalist Eylon Levy, a former Israeli government spokesman, told JTA's "Waiting for 61" podcast that most candidates treat public diplomacy as a tool for national interests rather than a goal. Levy said a more moderate government would gain goodwill among allies who support Israel in theory.