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Israel is losing its once iron-clad grip over US lawmakers, according to President Donald Trump, and it is happening under Benjamin Netanyahu’s watch. Even worse, recent polls have shown that a majority of American adults have a negative view of Israel. Public approval of Israel’s military actions in Gaza has dropped to around 32 percent, the lowest since the war began, with disapproval reaching 60 percent.

This decline is most pronounced among Democrats, younger Americans, and independents, who express strong concerns about the humanitarian crisis and civilian casualties in the enclave — only 9 percent of Americans under 35 support Israel’s military actions, highlighting a significant generational shift.

Trump made the statements last week in an interview with The Daily Caller. “Israel was the strongest lobby I’ve ever seen. They had total control over Congress, and now they don’t. You know, I’m a little surprised to see that,” he said. Referring to Israel’s two-year war on Gaza, he said: “They’re going to have to get that war over with. But it is hurting Israel. There’s no question about it. They may be winning the war, but they’re not winning the world of public relations, you know, and it is hurting them.”

A Pew poll last March found that 53 percent of US adults had an unfavorable view of Israel, compared with 42 percent in 2022. Additionally, half of Republicans polled by Pew now view Israel unfavorably.

American public opinion is moving toward a more critical position

Osama Al Sharif

Pundits have pointed to the fact that the bipartisan consensus is fracturing. Many Democrats now call for a balanced approach that considers Palestinian rights, while some Republicans, particularly in the Make America Great Again movement, question the strategic benefit of unconditional support. Even moderate Republicans show signs of unease.

Israel’s image in Europe has sustained greater damage, with anti-war protests taking place in most European capitals and cities every week. For the first time, European officials are talking about ending the EU’s trade partnership with Israel and imposing sanctions.

Several European countries are planning to recognize Palestinian statehood in a few weeks during the annual meetings of the UN’s General Assembly.

Netanyahu may be less concerned about the Europeans. Still, he and the political and military establishment in Israel should be worried about the shift in American public opinion and the crisis that the biggest pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC, is now facing.  The US has spent over $17 billion in support of Israel’s war effort since October 2023, and Netanyahu knows that without such support, Israel would face military defeat as well as financial ruin.

Overall, American public opinion and the political establishment are moving toward a more critical position of Israel, driven by ethical concerns, the humanitarian impact, and Israel’s ultranationalist policies. This shift signals a profound realignment of US-Israel relations, with growing demands for accountability and a reconsideration of America’s role in the conflict.

The July 2025 Gallup poll underlined broader polarization in US politics, with stark differences in political support and views on Israel’s war in Gaza and the harrowing images of starving Palestinian children, as well as the killing of journalists. The decline in bipartisan support reflects deepening divisions between parties and growing public unease with the humanitarian impact of the conflict. The data illustrate a significant realignment in American attitudes, with less unconditional support for Israel, particularly on the left and among younger voters.

Perhaps the most worrying sign for both Trump and Netanyahu is the fact that Israel’s Gaza war and unconditional US support are dividing the MAGA movement. Historically, the movement’s view on US support for Israel has been solid for ideological and religious reasons. However, in recent months, the movement has become increasingly divided and critical, marking a significant shift from the traditional Republican orthodoxy of unwavering support. While the MAGA wing once offered blind support for Israel, particularly following the Hamas attack in October 2023, recent developments in the Gaza war, especially the humanitarian crisis, have exposed sharp ideological rifts within the movement.

Prominent MAGA figures such as TV host Tucker Carlson, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and broadcaster Candace Owens have openly challenged the “blank check” approach to Israel, criticizing it as inconsistent with Trump’s “America First” mantra that prioritizes US interests over foreign conflicts. For example, Greene notably labeled Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide, highlighting widespread starvation and civilian casualties. These voices express skepticism toward continued US financial and military assistance to Israel, framing it as an undue burden on American taxpayers amid domestic economic struggles.

But the dissent within MAGA is less about siding with Palestinian rights in a progressive sense and more about opposing what is seen as “globalist elites” who drag the US into endless foreign wars. Trump’s MAGA base is increasingly vocal about the tension between unconditional Israel support and America First priorities, forcing the movement to reconsider long-held views on the US-Israel relationship.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza is also influencing American domestic politics, such as the mayoral race in New York City, where a Muslim immigrant, Zohran Mamdani, has knocked out pro-Israel candidates and is leading in the polls. Mamdani, a critic of Israel and a champion of Palestinian rights, is supported by young New Yorkers from all walks of life. Despite their best efforts and millions of dollars, AIPAC and Zionist donors were unable to take him out of the race.

There is no doubt that Israel’s brutal war on Gaza has significantly contributed to the waning support for Israel in the US by altering public perception through increased awareness of humanitarian and ethical concerns. Trump’s attack on Ivy League universities for allowing pro-Palestine protests to take place last spring, dubbing them antisemitic, has also triggered a backlash over sensitive issues such as free speech and academic independence. The case of Mohsen Mahdawi, the 34-year-old Palestinian student and US permanent resident who was arrested and was about to be deported until federal courts overruled the Trump administration, had become a hot political issue.

The decline in bipartisan support reflects deepening divisions

Osama Al Sharif

The administration’s attempt to defend Israel by suspending thousands of student visas and, most recently, by revoking the visas of Palestinian officials who were planning to attend the UN’s General Assembly meeting has backfired. Actions such as sanctioning judges at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice actually do more harm to Israel and its dependence on the US than good.

The complete bias by prominent US lawmakers in favor of Israel has also exposed AIPAC’s bankrolling of pro-Israel candidates, with a growing number of Americans now calling for the organization to be registered as a foreign agent.

Such developments could not have been imagined were it not for Israel’s barbaric war in Gaza, and its exaggerated sense of impunity and shameless disregard for international law.

One sign of what these shifts in American public opinion mean will be manifested in next year’s mid-term elections. Already, some lawmakers are stressing to voters that they will not receive donations from AIPAC once they run for office. That in itself is an extraordinary development.

Netanyahu’s blindness to how the Gaza war has isolated Israel diplomatically, politically, and economically is mind-boggling. It has exacted an enormous price, one that Israel cannot afford to pay. Instead of discussing the day after in Gaza, he should be thinking about the day after for Israel.

• Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman. X: @plato010