The UK as a whole is not divided over Gaza

Watching coverage of the debate about the Israel-Gaza war over the last two years, it’s sometimes hard not to feel that the country has been torn completely into two opposing sides. Commentators have become increasingly scathing of the opposing side, and protestors have become increasingly hardline.

Our research finds that those on both sides of the debate have indeed become more hardened in their views and more negative about the other side. Perhaps most strikingly, 43% of those who sympathise with Palestine would consider ending a friendship with someone who posted on social media in support of Israel, and 46% of those who sympathise with Israel would consider doing the same over a pro-Palestine post. Pro-Israel Britons tend to presume that Palestine supporters are driven by antisemitism, and Palestine supporters often assume that those who are pro-Israel are anti-Arab.

This polarisation of engaged Britons away from each other makes productive conversations about the conflict much more difficult. It is certainly harder to debate a topic as complex as Israel-Palestine in good faith if people approach the discussion from a starting point of not liking each other.

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High profile failures from the BBC in particular have eroded trust among those who side with Israel. As the pool of news sources trusted by both sides shrinks, it is harder to debate the conflict from shared facts.

However, all these findings overlook what I think is a more significant pattern: despite all the heated debates in Britain and increased fighting in Gaza, the numbers of people associating with one side or the other has remained virtually unchanged. Britain is far from divided into two camps: 14% sympathise more with Palestine and 26% more with Israel, but the biggest group by far are the 60% who say they sympathise with neither side, both sides equally, or don’t know.

What’s stopped people from taking sides? The increased temperature of debate among more engaged groups is certainly part of the answer. Most Britons say that those with the strongest views are crowding out others on this debate, and many feel afraid to speak out for fear of saying the wrong thing or facing backlash from those with stronger views.

This group of Britons who do not take a side in the conflict ought to be considered more in debates about how the war in Gaza is shaping Britain. Most of them are appalled by the fighting in Gaza, concerned about rising antisemitism and division in Britain, and want to see Israel protected against threats from Hamas. Many of them wouldn’t bring any of this up in conversation because they worry about saying the wrong thing or being wrongly seen as taking a side.

As a very fragile peace takes hold in Gaza, it’s clear from our research that these dynamics show no sign of stopping: people with strong views on the conflict pulling further apart, while those without strong views withdraw and switch off entirely. If we can make space for honest, respectful conversation, we can help pull people back from both hostility and withdrawal, and ensure the conflict abroad doesn’t tear Britain apart at home.

Ed Hodgson is Deputy Director for Research at More in Common