- Indicators suggest future US stance toward Israel will be less tolerant
Israel’s standing in the US has been eroding more deeply than it appears, as the current fundamental change is not limited to politicians but also reflects a deeper social and cultural shift, Israeli news site Walla reported on Wednesday.
The Hebrew-language outlet said: “Israel’s standing in the United States has been damaged more deeply than it appears, and this transformation began largely after the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.”
Israel has faced sharp public and official criticism worldwide over the genocidal war it launched on Gaza with US support on Oct. 8, 2023.
The war has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded over 172,000, most of them women and children, and destroyed about 90% of civilian infrastructure.
Fundamental change
“For decades, the relationship between the US and Israel was considered one of the most stable pillars of American foreign policy,” according to the site.
“But in recent weeks, amid regional developments and unprecedented statements from senior US officials, a troubling message has begun to emerge: a fundamental change has occurred,” it added.
Walla reported that data provides clear evidence of this shift, noting that about 60% of Americans now express negative views of Israel.
Among Americans aged 18 to 29, about 75% show greater sympathy for Palestinians than for Israel, according to the site.
“These are figures we have not seen before,” it said, noting that there had long been a broad US political consensus in favor of Israel, including among some Jewish respondents.
According to the report, the shift has also become politically evident in the US Senate during discussions over an arms deal with Israel.
“In the end, the deal passed, but the debate revealed a fundamental shift, as 40 out of 47 Democratic senators voted against it,” it added.
Only a few years ago, such a position “would have been political suicide for a senator, but today it has become common,” the site said.
It quoted Sen. Bernie Sanders as saying: “When we started this effort, there were just 11 votes. Now, there are 40.”
Social and cultural shift
In other words, the report said, the change in the United States “is not limited to politicians but reflects a deeper social and cultural transformation.”
It added that this shift is also visible across the broader political landscape, where potential presidential candidates for 2028 from both major parties no longer see unconditional support for Israel as a clear political advantage.
“On the contrary, in some cases, there is something like competition over who can distance themselves more from Israel,” it said.
It cited former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel as a prominent example of this shift.
The site noted that Emanuel recently said he would consider cutting annual US security aid to Israel, estimated at $3.8 billion, and possibly imposing restrictions in the event of violations.
“These ideas, which were once outside the bounds of legitimate debate, are now being heard within the core of the Democratic mainstream,” it said.
War on Gaza
The site asked: “Did all this begin with the Gaza war? To a large extent, yes. The images, destruction and international criticism have had a profound impact on American public opinion, especially among the younger generation.”
It added that the shift has become more evident recently amid the war with Iran, which the United States and Israel launched on Feb. 28.
It reported that some in Washington point to Israeli influence, particularly the role of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in promoting a hardline approach toward Iran, noting that this narrative is beginning to reach the American public.
The report said the American generation that grew up viewing Israel as a victim, shaped by the 1967 and 1973 wars, is fading and being replaced by a generation shaped by images from Gaza, social media and different global narratives.
It added that President Donald Trump represents an older generation that is strongly supportive of Israel.
The key question, the report said, is: “What comes next?”
“All indicators suggest that whether a Democratic or Republican president is elected, the position toward Israel is expected to be less tolerant and more restrained,” it said.
“The conclusion is clear: the alliance between Israel and the United States is not collapsing, but it is no longer taken for granted. What was once considered a near-sacred consensus has become a subject of political and public debate, even across generations.”
It added that Israel’s allies in Congress are declining both ideologically and generationally.
In 1948, Israel was established on land where armed Zionist groups displaced at least 750,000 Palestinians, and it later occupied the remaining Palestinian territories, while rejecting withdrawal and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul
