U.S.-Israel Alliance Enters Decline After Oct. 7, as Support Falls Below 50%
Updated
Updated · Foreign Policy · Jun 15
U.S.-Israel Alliance Enters Decline After Oct. 7, as Support Falls Below 50%
3 articles · Updated · Foreign Policy · Jun 15
Summary
Less than half of Americans now say backing Israel is in the U.S. national interest, and Americans for the first time view Palestinians more sympathetically than Israelis.
Oct. 7, 2023 and Israel’s ensuing destruction of Gaza, blockade, starvation and West Bank settler violence accelerated a backlash that the report says pushed the alliance into “terminal decline.”
That erosion has spread across both parties: progressives increasingly treat opposition to Israel as a litmus test, while MAGA restrainers argue U.S. aid and strategic alignment should be cut back.
The report traces the bipartisan break to 2015, when AIPAC spent about $40 million fighting the Iran nuclear deal and Netanyahu’s clash with Barack Obama helped polarize Israel policy.
Looking ahead to 2028, military aid to Israel is expected to face sharper political pressure, even as Netanyahu says Israel should wean itself off U.S. assistance over the next decade.