A striking claim spreading across social media says a UK-based poll found that 46% of American voters support arresting foreign leaders accused of genocide, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly receiving the most support for detention.
The precise polling information behind that claim remains unclear. No publicly accessible data tables, sample details, fieldwork dates, or question wording could be located to confirm the 46% figure. Yet the political current beneath the viral post is unmistakable.
Recent, verifiable surveys show that American attitudes toward Netanyahu and the Israeli government have changed dramatically. Criticism that once remained largely inside progressive activist circles is now appearing in national polling, election campaigns and debates over whether international arrest warrants should have consequences on American soil.
Verified polls show Netanyahu’s standing collapsing
A June 2026 Quinnipiac University poll found that 48% of registered voters believed the United States was too supportive of Israel. That was the highest percentage recorded since Quinnipiac began asking the question in 2017. Only 38% said Washington’s support was about right, while 7% wanted the United States to provide more support.
Netanyahu’s personal numbers were even more damaging. Only 20% of voters viewed him favorably, compared with 48% who held an unfavorable opinion. Another 30% said they had not heard enough to judge him. The poll surveyed 1,165 registered voters from June 18 to June 22 and had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.
“Netanyahu gets poor marks from American voters,” Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy said while describing the public’s declining appetite for unconditional support of Israel.
An Associated Press-NORC survey released weeks later reached a similar conclusion. About one-third of American adults said they believed Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Roughly half of Democrats and 30% of Jewish adults shared that view. About one-fifth rejected the genocide description, while nearly half said they lacked enough information to decide.
The AP-NORC poll surveyed 3,040 adults between June 11 and June 17 using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel. Its margin of sampling error for the overall adult sample was 2.8 percentage points. Only 20% viewed Netanyahu favorably, while 38% viewed him unfavorably.
These findings do not independently prove that 46% of voters support Netanyahu’s arrest. They do, however, show why such a claim can gain traction. Netanyahu is no longer viewed in the United States simply as the leader of a close ally. For a growing share of Americans, he has become the political face of civilian suffering, disputed military tactics and frustration with Washington’s Middle East policy.
The legal accusations are often confused
The language surrounding Netanyahu requires careful distinction.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on November 21, 2024. However, the warrant does not charge him with genocide. ICC judges found reasonable grounds to believe he was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, including starvation as a method of warfare, murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. Netanyahu remains listed by the court as being at large.
Israel rejects the ICC’s jurisdiction and denies committing war crimes. Netanyahu and his government have repeatedly described the proceedings as politically motivated.
The genocide case is a separate matter before the International Court of Justice. South Africa brought that case against the State of Israel under the Genocide Convention. It is a dispute between states, not a criminal prosecution of Netanyahu personally, and no final judgment finding Israel responsible for genocide has been issued. Proceedings and declarations of intervention were continuing in 2026.
That distinction matters. Saying Netanyahu faces an ICC warrant for alleged war crimes is accurate. Saying the ICC charged him with genocide is not.
Public support does not create arrest authority
Even strong public support for an arrest would not automatically make one legally possible in the United States.
The United States is not a member of the ICC, and American law contains no straightforward mechanism for enforcing the court’s warrant. The 2002 American Service-Members’ Protection Act also restricts cooperation with the court and bars the extradition of people from the United States to the ICC.
Sitting heads of government generally receive immunity in American courts. Foreign representatives traveling to United Nations meetings in New York may receive additional protections under international agreements. Legal experts told Reuters that these barriers would prevent a mayor, governor, or local police department from independently executing the warrant.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had spoken about arresting Netanyahu, acknowledged in July that the city lacked independent legal authority to do so. President Donald Trump responded by declaring that Netanyahu would not be arrested while visiting the United States.
The arrest debate is therefore more political than practical. It measures public anger, trust in international law and changing attitudes toward Israel rather than predicting an imminent detention.
The unverified 46% figure should not be published as established fact without the original polling documents. Still, verified surveys tell a powerful story of their own: Netanyahu’s American support has weakened, criticism of Israel has moved toward the political mainstream, and international accountability has become an issue that voters are increasingly willing to discuss.
