With a U.S.-brokered cease-fire deal in place between Israel and Hamas for the initial release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, the question remains: What will the long-term results be?

New polling by our firm, conducted on behalf of the Israel on Campus Coalition, indicates that even though Americans support the current deal, they remain pessimistic about the long-term outcome.

That said, solid majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents remain committed to supporting Israel and want the U.S. to continue supporting the Jewish State.

Further, and due to the widespread bipartisan support for Israel, Americans widely believe that Israel must be able to take whatever measures are necessary to eliminate terror and that Hamas must not be allowed to govern Gaza following the war.

Indeed, although 78 percent said they support the hostage for ceasefire deal, just 15 percent say they are “very optimistic” that both sides will follow through on their pledges.

Similarly, there is widespread skepticism that this deal will bring lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, as only 34 percent of U.S. respondents felt that way. And even that may be overstated, as only 11 percent were “very optimistic” that true peace will be the result.

There are many underlying reasons for Americans’ cynicism, yet the poll suggests one particular factor is the most significant.

Namely, that this deal says nothing about the “day after the war” plan for Gaza, specifically in terms of Hamas’ role in the future of Gaza.

We found that 57 percent felt that a “final deal” should require Hamas’s removal from power, whereas only 10 percent believed that Hamas should be allowed to continue ruling Gaza.

To that end, Americans broadly recognize the long-term threat that a Hamas-ruled Gaza would pose to Israel.

By nearly a three-to-one ratio, Americans would support (56 percent) rather than oppose (19 percent) Israel resuming its military campaign in Gaza to remove Hamas, should Hamas violate the ceasefire deal.

This widespread support for Israel may seem quizzical given the outsized attention to the disruptive — yet very public — anti-Israel protests that have erupted in American cities and on campuses since the war began in October 2023.

And yet the data, captured routinely since the outbreak of the war, suggest that these protests do not align with the true mood of the American people.

As far back as November 2023, we found that Americans overwhelmingly (70 percent) believe that “Hamas is a terrorist organization that wrongly attacks, kidnaps, and murders innocent civilians.” Only 8 percent agreed with the statement that “Hamas is a freedom-fighting organization committed to liberating the Palestinian people and ending Israeli occupation.”

In that same vein, the poll suggests that support for Israel and concern over growing antisemitism at home are both bipartisan ideas. Seventy percent of U.S. adults support Israel’s right to defend itself, and the support is consistently high among Republicans (79 percent), Democrats (65 percent) and independents (65 percent).

What’s more, this bipartisan support extends beyond Israel’s current war with Hamas in Gaza.

Majorities of Republicans (76 percent), independents (57 percent) and Democrats (53 percent) agree that “the U.S. should remain a steadfast ally of Israel and fully support it in a war with Iran.”

It is not just support for Israel where Americans are largely united. At home, as protests on college campuses continue — including at Columbia University last week, where students interrupted a class to distribute antisemitic fliers featuring violent images — Americans of all parties are united in concern over rising antisemitism due to the war.

Strong majorities of Republicans (70 percent), Democrats (65 percent) and independents (61 percent) expressed concern that the current Israel-Hamas conflict has led to an increase in antisemitism on campuses.

Similarly, three-quarters (74 percent) of Republicans along with majorities of Democrats (62 percent) and independents (59 percent) support college administrations tightening rules around these protests.

Ultimately, the polling indicates that, far from being a partisan issue, Americans are largely united in supporting Israel’s right to self-defense and worrying over the impact of surging antisemitism.

Moreover, the data suggest that the media narrative of stark partisan differences toward Israel, which has taken root since Oct. 7, 2023, is inaccurate. Support for Israel does not divide Americans along party lines — rather, it is an area of bipartisan agreement in an age when such widely supported issues are increasingly rare.

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