Like elsewhere in the world , spikes in anti-Americanism in the region correlate with the adoption or reiteration of certain policies by the U.S. government , in special its support for Israel in the occupation of Palestine and the Iraq War . In regards to 9/11 , a Gallup poll noted , for example , that while some ( 3 % ) Muslims polled opposed the attack , 97 % of them ( called ' radicals ' in the survey ) supported it , citing in their favor , not religious view points , but disgust at U.S. policies . In effect , when targeting U.S. or other Western assets in the region , radical armed groups in the Middle East , Al-Qaeda included , have made reference to U.S. policies and alleged crimes against humanity to justify their attacks . For example , to explain the Khobar Towers bombing ( in which 19 American airmen were killed ) , Bin Laden , although proven to have not committed the attack , named U.S. support for Israel in instances of attacks against Muslims , such as the Sabra and Shatila massacre and the Qana massacre , as the reasons behind the attack
Qana massacre
Qana massacre
Anti-Americanism