70% of Poles believe Israel committing genocide in Gaza

Some 70% of Poles believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, the local daily Rzeczpospolita reported on Thursday, adding that the survey was conducted in August by IPSOS, a multinational market research and consulting firm, for the think tank More in Common Polska.

The daily reported that 43% of respondents "strongly agree" with the term 'genocide' to describe Israel's actions in Gaza. The poll was conducted from August 6 to August 13, with a sample size of 1,200 respondents.

"This does not so decisively translate into sympathizing with one or the other side of the conflict," Adam Traczyk, director of More in Common Polska, explained.

"The survey shows that we see violence, can identify it, and want to provide humanitarian assistance to the victims of this war. And this is regardless of our political viewpoints," he added.

Comparisons over time are difficult because no previous poll appears to have been conducted, though the Polish percentage is higher than in the US.

In late August, a poll revealed that half of US voters believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. According to the same Quinnipiac University poll, 60% of US voters oppose Washington providing additional military aid to Israel.

Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski told Polish Radio in August that "Poland can serve as an example when it comes to recognizing the independence of the Palestinian state. Poland is among those European countries that recognize Palestine. It did so in 1988." Warsaw supports a two-state solution, he added.

Earlier this month, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) passed a resolution stating that Israel's actions in Gaza meet the legal definition outlined in the UN Convention on Genocide.