USA: In a recent survey of citizens from 23 countries, it was discovered that public support for the US among Israelis has risen to a two-decade high. Poland was an exception, topping the list this year with the most supportive stance towards Washington, despite the general decline in support for Washington across Europe.

In response to a question about their opinions of the US for a Pew survey released on Tuesday, 87% of Israelis polled said they had a generally positive opinion, with only 12% having a negative opinion. Since Pew began conducting the survey in Israel in 2003, that number has increased at an above-average rate.

Israel and the US have had close ties for a long time; in fact, former Secretary of State Alexander Haig once compared Israel to a "American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk." It still receives annual US aid in the billions, much of which is used to purchase military equipment.

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President Joe Biden hasn't been as outspoken about his support for Israel as his predecessor Donald Trump, but he has. In accordance with Israel's contested claim to Jerusalem as its capital, he agreed to move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv in 2018. He later agreed with its claims to the Golan Heights, despite Syria's repeated protests.

Only Poland had a higher opinion of the US than Israel, where 93% of people told Pew they had a favourable opinion, compared to only 4% who had an unfavourable opinion. Kenya, South Korea, and Nigeria all scored very highly (79%, 74%, and 71% favourably, respectively). 

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However, only Poland and Greece, out of the 10 European nations surveyed, reported higher ratings this year than in 2022, indicating a general decline in opinion over the previous 12 months. The lowest rating was for Hungary, which maintains closer ties with Russia, at just 44% favourable, a decrease of 11 percentage points from the previous year. Only 51% of Hungarians said their opinion was unfavourable.

Only 52% of Australians said they had a favourable opinion of the US, among other close US allies having some of the lowest ratings in the poll. Only 55% of Swedes agreed with that statement, compared to Canada's 57%. 

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A total of 82% of respondents across all 23 countries claimed that the US "[interferes] in the affairs of other countries," though 61% also claimed that Washington helps to promote "peace and stability around the world." When asked whether US officials "take into account the interests of other countries," respondents were almost evenly divided, with 49% answering yes and 50% answering no.