Israel’s crisis of diminishing US support reached new lows this week, as polls suggested a fundamental change is under way to Israel’s most important relationship.
Fifty-two per cent of US adults said they have a favourable opinion of the Israeli people, down from 67 per cent in 2022, according to a poll released on Thursday by the Pew Research Centre. The major decline means Americans view Israelis only slightly more favourably than they do Palestinians, at 50 per cent in 2026.
The poll found 62 per cent of Americans now view the Israeli government unfavourably, up from 43 per cent in 2022. Meanwhile, 69 per cent had an unfavourable view of the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank.
For the majority of its history, Israel has relied on the US for military and diplomatic support. But the numbers confirm a trend of diminishing US support for Israel at a time of massive upheaval for the Middle East.
US peace talks with Iran, Israel’s arch-enemy, appear to be stalling as tit-for-tat bombing resumes. At a leadership level, the Trump-Netanyahu relationship also appears to be under strain.
Israel is in favour of more fighting with Iran, putting it at odds with most countries. Israeli leaders are concerned that the current trajectory of peace talks will not address the full range of Iranian threats, which many in Israel view as existential. There are also fears that sanctions relief, a major element of the talks, would provide funding for Iran's military and its axis of regional militants.
Earlier this week, a second poll by AP-Norc suggested about one third of Americans, including about half of Democrats, believe Israel committed genocide in Gaza. In June, a Quinnipiac University survey suggested almost half of Americans believe the US is too supportive of Israel.
The polling numbers are part of a declining trend that accelerated during the Gaza war and gathered pace during the Iran conflict. The war in Iran pushed up petrol prices and angered many Americans, including supporters of US President Donald Trump, in a country fatigued by past military interventions abroad.
Presidential hopeful's speech
A speech at Tel Aviv University this week by Rahm Emanuel, a senior US Democrat and presidential hopeful, also received significant media coverage in Israel.
Mr Emanuel, a former US ambassador and mayor of Chicago, told a packed auditorium that “unconditional [US] support has allowed you to deny food and medical relief to innocent Palestinians suffering in Gaza, leaving the world to conclude that Israelis not only want to kill the Palestinians but that they are completely indifferent to their death, destruction and suffering".
“The only diplomatic gain you've made over the last three years is Somaliland,” he added, referring to recent fanfare in Israel after the breakaway state in Africa opened an embassy in Jerusalem. Israel is the only country to recognise Somaliland.
Mr Emanuel's speech came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a US media blitz, giving four interviews to foreign outlets in 48 hours, during which he lobbied Israel’s case on issues from the Iran war to potential US plans to give Turkey F-35 fighter jets.
The strain in the relationship comes as reports mount that Israel is preparing for a return to fighting with Iran, which would mark a major escalation in the current bombing hitting the Middle East.
Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, reported that some Israeli officials are in favour of joining the US in its bombing campaign, but are waiting for approval from Mr Trump. The New York Post also reported an Israeli source saying Israel is “willing” to start fighting Iran again.
US broadcaster CNN suggested on Thursday that Israel shared intelligence with the US that Iran had come up with a new plan to assassinate Mr Trump, another report that adds to tensions between both countries.
Other US officials mentioned in the report suggested the claim could be an Israeli move to tilt Mr Trump towards further military action against Iran.
