The social media landscape has been – and continues to be – highly hostile toward Israel following its response to Hamas after October 7, 2023. But what's happening now? How has the preemptive attack on Iran affected the current sentiment? Has anything changed? In which countries is there greater support for Israel, and where is there more hostility?
Surveys from recent months have painted a grim picture for Israel. A YouGov poll published earlier this month showed that support and sympathy for Israel in Western Europe have reached a new low, with only 13% to 21% of respondents in various countries expressing support. In contrast, between 63% and 71% voiced a negative opinion of the Jewish state.
Since the war with Iran began a few days ago, no similar poll or studies have been published yet. Therefore, we turned to Grok, the artificial intelligence engine of the X platform, and OpenAI's ChatGPT, and asked it to analyze online sentiment, focusing on several key countries.
Of course, it's tough to pin down exact country-by-country sentiment on X about Israel versus the Iranian regime, since the platform's a chaotic mix of voices and not every user broadcasts their location. Plus, public posts don't always reflect broader national views – people who post loudly might just be the most opinionated. That said, based on what's visible in recent X posts and some web context, Grok sketched out a rough picture.
Support for Israel on X seems to pop up more from users in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and Canada. You'll see posts from these places emphasizing Israel's right to defend itself or cheering its military moves against Iran's regime. For example, some users in the US and India have been vocal about backing Israel's strikes, framing them as a stand against a brutal autocracy.
Several countries in western Europe, such as Germany and Italy, also lean toward Israel in some posts, often tied to official government stances or shared security concerns. Jordan and the UAE get mentioned too, but it's less about grassroots X users and more about state-level alignment with Israel's defense.
On the other side, support for Iran's regime – or at least sympathy for its position – shows up more among users who seem to be from countries like Russia, China, or Pakistan. These posts often frame Iran as resisting Western or Israeli "aggression." Some users in Latin America and parts of Africa might lean this way too, not necessarily cheering Iran's government but criticizing Israel's actions as overreach or tying it to broader anti-Western vibes. For instance, a few posts suggest "the rest of the world" outside Western blocs feels more aligned with Iran, though that's a massive generalization. However, according to ChatGPT, Argentina is strongly pro-Israel, both in government stance and public opinion.
From which country do you support us? pic.twitter.com/0vji94NKQA
— Maya 🇮🇱 (@Maya144796) June 15, 2025
In order to get deeper insights, we asked Grok to sample four countries – Germany, Russia, India, and South Korea.
South Korea
X Sentiment: Mixed but leans slightly pro-Israel.
Support for Israel is often tied to security concerns (e.g., North Korea–Iran ties) and shared democratic values. Criticism of Israel centers on pacifism and civilian casualties in Gaza, not support for Iran. Explicit pro-Iran content is rare.
Web insight: Post-Gaza conflict, favorability toward Israel dropped, but overt support for Iran's regime remains marginal.
Germany
X sentiment: Strongly pro-Israel, consistent and vocal. There's emphasis on historical responsibility, democratic alignment, and opposition to Iran's nuclear program and human rights violations.
Pro-Iran sentiment is minimal and mostly from fringe or anti-Western accounts.
Web insight: Matches public discourse; Bundestag resolutions in 2024 reinforced alignment with Israel.
Russia
X sentiment: Leans pro-Iran, driven by state-aligned narratives. Iran is framed as a strategic ally resisting the West; posts praise Russia-Iran cooperation (arms, anti-NATO). Israel is portrayed as an aggressor in Western-backed narratives. Pro-Israel voices exist but are rare and often marginalized or mocked.
Web insight: Public divided – some support Iran out of anti-Western sentiment, others remain indifferent or cautious about Middle Eastern entanglements.
🚨 Israel PM @Netanyahu proves the #Iran nuclear deal is a failure.
⚡️#Tehran's dream is crushed — #Israel blocks its nuke path.
⚡️Now #Iran strikes #TelAviv in rage.
🇮🇳 India stands firmly with 🇮🇱 Israel.#IsraelIranWar 🚩 #IranUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/xGhi76fuMO
— 🥀 Mrityunjay Tiwari (@_Tiwarie__63) June 15, 2025
India
X sentiment: Split and multifaceted. Pro-Israel voices dominate among Hindu nationalists and anti-terrorism advocates, aligning Israel's actions with India's stance on Pakistan-backed terrorism.
Neutral stances stress diplomacy, economic interests, and India's ties to both Israel and Iran. Pro-Iran or anti-Israel sentiment surfaces among Muslim and left-leaning groups, often focused on Palestinian solidarity and humanitarian concerns.
Web insight: India maintains strong defense ties with Israel, but also prioritizes economic cooperation with Iran (e.g., Chabahar Port). The official stance is neutral, emphasizing de-escalation and dialogue.
Here's the catch with Grok's analysis: X posts are skewed. They're often from activists, bots, or people with an axe to grind. A user claiming "all of Europe supports Israel" or "the global south backs Iran" is usually exaggerating to push a narrative. Web sources, like a 2024 TIME article, show Israel's global favorability tanked in many countries (e.g., Japan, South Korea, Brazil) after recent conflicts, but that doesn't mean those folks are pro-Iran either; they might just be anti-escalation.
