General support for Israel has been a constant of American politics since the Cold War. Both the Democratic and Republican Parties had differing reasons to support Tel Aviv, and were backed by a U.S. public that often expressed more sympathy toward Israel than Palestine.
This support has been rooted not only in historical ties that made the United States home to the world’s largest Jewish community, but also in religious symbolism, through which dominant Christian groups have endorsed a renewed Jewish presence and control over the 'Holy Land.' Over time, Zionism became a self-evident position among politically influential Jewish and Christian communities in the United States, profoundly shaping American politics.
Nothing seemed to shake this support and alignment, not Israel’s repression of several Palestinian uprisings, its slow annexation of the West Bank, or its multiple wars in Gaza. However, cracks began to slowly emerge.
Those faultlines eventually came to the surface, as the immense brutality of the recent Gaza war shocked many Americans. Shifting public attitudes quickly combined with existing frustrations around America’s political system, forcing both major parties to adapt.
This has not been a uniform process however, as U.S. partisan politics and differing trends are sending the two American parties in different trajectories.
Growing disapproval
Since 2023, general support for Israel across the American political spectrum has begun to plummet. According to polling from the Pew Research Center, in 2022, 41% of Americans expressed negative views toward Israel, while in 2025 it rose to 53% of Americans.
In late 2023, only 27% of Americans believed Israel was going too far in the Gaza war. In 2025, that number has raised to 39%, while 45% of Americans said they believe Israel is committing genocide, with only 31% disagreeing.
Americans are still more likely to express sympathy toward Israelis than Palestinians, but that trend has been moving in the other direction. Since 2020, the percentage of Americans who expressed greater sympathies for Israelis has dropped from 60% to 46%, while the percentage of Americans with greater sympathies toward Palestinians rose from 23% to 33%.
Breaking down these numbers further however, exposes a partisan divide. While both Democrats and Republicans trend in the same directions, their rate is different, with Democrats often becoming more critical of Israel than their Republican counterparts.
Additionally, both parties are responding differently to this shift in public support. As young Democrats and Republicans lead the change in attitudes, party leaders are trying to balance established party dogmas with the frustrations of younger members. This process has exposed previously unaddressed issues within both parties and is pushing them in sharply divergent directions, as each struggles to adapt.
Democrats: a fight for new leadership
In 2023, the Democratic Party seemed confident and united, but it lacked a clear vision for the future. The Inflation Reduction Act had passed, the party avoided major midterm losses, and Biden still held support among Democrats. Yet these successes masked growing unease about the party’s direction.