SOCIETY – SWG survey: Italians’ solidarity with Palestinians grows

The survey was conducted while Hassan Nasrallah was still alive and issuing threats. Although much has changed since then, the latest snapshot from the Italian SWG research institute provides an insight into Italians’ views on the conflict between Israel, Lebanon’s Hezbollah (“Party of God”), and Hamas terrorists. Overall, respondents tend to side against Israel.
Between September 25-27, 1,200 Italians responded to SWG’s questions, including: “Regarding Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanese territory, which statement do you most agree with?” Forty-one percent said, “Israel should not attack Lebanese territory,” while 35% supported the attacks. There was a notable split by political alignment, with 50% of center-right voters supporting Israel’s actions compared to just 26% of center-left voters.
Among the 35% who supported Israel, opinions were divided: 26% thought “Israel should take greater care to avoid civilian casualties, even if it means being less effective,” while 9% believed “Israel is justified in attacking decisively because Hezbollah is launching missiles and poses a threat.”
There is widespread negative sentiment regarding the operation that remotely triggered Hezbollah pagers to explode—an action never officially claimed by Israel. Sixty-one percent of Italians considered it “unjustifiable, even in a wartime context, because it always risks civilian collateral damage.” Conversely, 20% of respondents view it as “justifiable” because it was “targeted and mostly affected militants”.
In the event of an escalation, with new direct attacks by Iran and Yemen against Israel, 50% of Italians favor “neutrality” between Israel and its enemies, while 23% believe the EU and Italy should side with the Jewish state (32% among center-right voters and 20% among center-left voters). Only 6% expressed support for Israel’s adversaries.
Nearly a year after October 7 and the war in Gaza began, the survey shows increased support for the Palestinian cause. On October 13 of last year, when asked to choose between Israelis and Palestinians, 10% of Italians expressed greater sympathy for the latter, but that figure has now risen to 31%. Meanwhile, only 13% of Italians now support the “Israeli community,” compared to 25% recorded initially.
Those who express equal sympathy for both Israelis and Palestinians now account for 22% of respondents, down from 30% in the first post-October 7 survey. Support for the “formal recognition of the Palestinian state” has increased from 53% to 62%.