Israel must take sharply declining US public support seriously, think tank warns

Israel must take sharply declining US public support seriously, think tank warns Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Tue, 04/21/2026 - 16:09 Israel's Institute for National Security Studies warns that US support might not last forever Protesters gather in Times Square for an Al Quds Day rally in support of Palestinians and against the current bombing of Iran by both the United States and Israel on 13 March 2026 (Spencer Platt/Getty Images via AFP) Off Israel’s rapidly declining popularity in the US is a threat to national security and must be taken seriously if the country wants to maintain sufficient support from Washington, an Israeli think tank has warned. A new report from the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) has highlighted the consequences of the steep decline in Israel’s standing with the United States and said that if American public opinion does not change drastically Israel will soon find itself without enough support there. The report published on Monday by the INSS, which has affiliations to the army and Tel Aviv University, refers to polling from the Pew Research Centre released earlier in April, which found that 60 percent of US adults have an unfavourable view of Israel - up from 53 percent last year.  Data published for the first time following a collaboration between the INSS and the Washington-based Pew found that 75 percent of young American adults between the ages of 18 and 29 hold a negative view of Israel. That figure is 67 percent for those aged between 30 and 49. According to the Pew poll, 80 percent of Democrats have a very or somewhat unfavourable view of Israel, while that figure is 41 percent among Republicans. Eighty-five percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning voters aged between 18 and 29 view Israel negatively, with that figure at 83 percent for those aged between 30 and 49. Widespread decline According to the INSS report, the collapse in Israel’s popularity in the US is widespread throughout different religious groups. Catholics, Protestants, and white evangelical Christians under the age of 50 all hold an unfavourable opinion of Israel. Israel is particularly unpopular among Catholics, with 74 percent under the age of 50 viewing the country negatively. Even among white Evangelicals, an important demographic in US President Donald Trump’s coalition, Israel is struggling, with 50 percent of those under 50 viewing the state in a negative light, compared to 47 percent seeing it positively.  'Recent developments in Israel’s standing among the American public outline the emergence of a significant threat' - Institute for National Security Studies A separate poll has also suggested that there is a steep decline in the support of Israel among American Jews and found that a majority of American Jews oppose the war on Iran. A survey conducted by GBAO Strategies for J Street, a liberal Zionist group based in Washington, found that 70 percent of American Jews “oppose unconditional military and financial assistance to Israel".   According to the poll, 30 percent of responders said their sympathy lies with the Palestinians and not with the Israelis, further indicating the magnitude of Israel's decline in popularity among the US public, the INSS said. Last week, the US Senate blocked two resolutions aimed at halting the sale of military bulldozers and the transfer of 12,000 1,000-pound bombs to Israel.  Despite the defeat, a record number of Democratic senators voted in favour of the resolutions: 40 out of 47 voted to stop the sale of bulldozers, while 36 voted against the transfer of bombs. Chris Van Hollen, a US senator from Maryland, said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "helped launch the Iran war, has unleashed an offensive in Lebanon and continues to harm civilians in the West Bank and Gaza", adding that "we shouldn't send taxpayer-funded bombs and equipment to facilitate this brutality". Grave threat The INSS said that the negative trend in the views toward Israel among the American public and its politicians posed a grave threat for Israel's security. "Recent developments in Israel’s standing among the American public outline the emergence of a significant threat to one of the foundations of Israel’s national security," the report said, regarding the US backing of Israel. Israel is dependent on US support, which has been longstanding. According to an October 2025 report from the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the US has transferred over $300bn to Israel since its establishment in 1948. More registered US voters view Israel negatively than positively, poll finds Read More » "While the United States has also provided large foreign aid packages to other Middle Eastern countries, particularly Egypt and Iraq, Israel stands apart," the CFR said, noting that Israel has received much more US military and economic aid than any other country. According to the INSS report, only Russia, Iran and China - all long-term adversaries of the US - are seen less favourably than Israel by the American public, as only 37 percent view Israel positively. The Pew poll, which the INSS report was based on, found that Netanyahu is also seen unfavourably by the American public. The INSS said that the shift in the public view of Israel in the US is a long-term process that the genocide in Gaza further expedited, adding that the US-Israeli war on Iran, which is seen in the US as being initiated by Netanyahu, has further damaged Israel's standing. The report suggested that the current ceasefire between the US and Iran may help Israel's public standing, but that "there is cause for concern that Israel is currently experiencing the emergence of a new fundamental reality, in which it is perceived differently than in the past". Combative statements Even if Israel’s standing in the US showed "some recovery", the report said, "without a change in Israeli government policy, it is likely that Israel’s negative image will solidify". 'Without a change in Israeli government policy, it is likely that Israel’s negative image will solidify' - Institute for National Security Studies "An effort to maximize the current administration’s support for Israel to its fullest extent," the report stated, regarding a possible Israeli military escalation on all fronts, "may thwart any possibility of restoring Israel’s standing in the future." With Israel marking its independence day on Tuesday evening, politicians have been issuing combative statements. On Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel’s fight against Iran was “not over yet”, adding that “any moment could bring us new developments”.  On Tuesday, referring to the war on Lebanon, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that he and Netanyahu had instructed the military to “operate with full force, both on the ground and from the air, even during the ceasefire”.  Katz said the Israeli army would keep levelling homes in Lebanon and issued a death threat to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem. US-Israel relations Tel Aviv, Israel News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0