60 Percent of U.S. Citizens Now View Israel Negatively, Report Finds
The Hebrew-language site was direct in its assessment: "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 mounting condemnation globally over the war it launched on Gaza with US backing on Oct. 8, 2023 — a conflict that has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded over 172,000, the majority of them women and children, while devastating approximately 90% of civilian infrastructure.
A Pillar of American Foreign Policy Begins to Crack
"For decades, the relationship between the US and Israel was considered one of the most stable pillars of American foreign policy," Walla noted — but added that recent weeks have brought a stark reversal: "a fundamental change has occurred."
The numbers are striking. Roughly 60% of Americans now hold negative views of Israel, according to data cited by the outlet. Among Americans between the ages of 18 and 29, the figure is even more pronounced — approximately 75% express greater sympathy for Palestinians than for Israelis.
"These are figures we have not seen before," Walla said, noting that for years a broad bipartisan consensus in favor of Israel had held firm, even among portions of the Jewish American community.
The Senate Signals a New Political Reality
The political fracture has grown impossible to ignore in Washington. During a recent US Senate debate over an arms deal with Israel, the depth of the shift became starkly visible. Though the deal ultimately passed, Walla noted that "the debate revealed a fundamental shift, as 40 out of 47 Democratic senators voted against it."
Such a stance, the outlet observed, "would have been political suicide for a senator" only a few years ago — but today "it has become common."
Senator Bernie Sanders captured the momentum of the change: "When we started this effort, there were just 11 votes. Now, there are 40."
A Cultural and Generational Transformation
Beyond Capitol Hill, Walla described a transformation that "is not limited to politicians but reflects a deeper social and cultural transformation" reshaping how Americans across the political spectrum view the relationship.
The shift is already influencing the calculations of prospective 2028 presidential candidates from both major parties, for whom unconditional support for Israel is no longer seen as a political asset. "On the contrary, in some cases, there is something like competition over who can distance themselves more from Israel," the site said.
Former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel was cited as a prominent illustration of this realignment. Walla noted that Emanuel has recently floated the possibility of cutting the approximately $3.8 billion in annual US security assistance to Israel and potentially imposing conditions in cases of violations.
"These ideas, which were once outside the bounds of legitimate debate, are now being heard within the core of the Democratic mainstream," the outlet concluded.
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