PNN – The Economist wrote in a report, referring to the significant decline in public support for the Zionist regime in the United States, which has supported it for decades that Tel Aviv is losing Washington and should be worried.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, citing The Economist; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on September 14, after showing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the massive 2,000-year-old stones of the Western Wall at Jerusalem’s holiest site that the alliance between Tel Aviv and Washington is as strong and enduring as the stones we touched. But unfortunately, he is wrong.
The Gaza war has made Israel even more isolated and dependent on America. At the current UN General Assembly, longtime allies such as Australia, Britain, Canada and France will recognize a Palestinian state, while the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank makes the formation of a genuine Palestinian state more unlikely. America is the only barrier that protects Israel from becoming an “exile” with serious consequences for its diplomatic, legal, and military security.
Despite Netanyahu’s cheerful assurances that relations with the United States are strong, they are not. The Israeli prime minister has confused the Trump administration and ignored the deep cracks in the foundations of the alliance. Democratic voters have long been alienated from America’s closest ally. Republican support has also been steadily declining. The sudden loss of American public support for Israel, a nation of 10 million people in a dangerous and hostile region, would be catastrophic.
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Amazing like polls in America
The percentage of Americans who support Israel over the Palestinians has fallen to its lowest level in 25 years. In 2022, 42% of American adults had an unfavorable view of Israel; now that figure has risen to 53%. A recent YouGov/Economist poll found that 43 percent of Americans believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. In the past three years, negative views of Israel among Democrats over 50 have increased by 23 percent. Among Republicans under 50, support for Israel and Palestine is roughly equal, while in 2022, 63% supported Israel.
To understand the significance of this, one must go back to a time when the bond between America and Israel was a powerful combination of values and interests. Both are (so-called) democracies founded by pioneers fleeing persecution. Both believed they were exceptional: one a shining city on a hill, the other a light to the nations. At the same time, their interests overlapped. During the Cold War, Israel was a bulwark against Soviet expansion in the Arab world. After the Soviet Union collapsed, they remained united against Iran. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, a shared hatred of radical Islamists united them.
What went wrong?
For Democrats, especially among young people, the difference is over values. Democrats often extend their dissatisfaction with America’s history of slavery and neocolonialism to oppressed Palestinians and Israeli settlers, although this comparison is not very accurate. This has been exacerbated by the right-wing trend in Israeli politics. In addition, Netanyahu has firmly placed Israel in the Republican camp, hoping that Republicans will attack any Democratic administration that pressures him on settlements or peace talks.
The decline in support among Republican voters has less to do with a conflict of beliefs than with a conflict of interests. Anger over the use of taxpayer money to support Ukraine has spilled over into the roughly $300 billion the United States has given to this Israel since 1948. Israeli attacks on Qatar and Syria have undermined Trump’s efforts to bring about regional peace. Some financial backers, led by a president who knows where the money is, have shifted to the Gulf monarchies.
The Gaza war has worsened the situation.
Americans literally shudder when they see images of starving children. Some Republican commentators, such as Tucker Carlson, are outraged by the idea that Israel might drag the United States into another war in the Middle East by attacking Iran. Whenever Israel is criticized, its defenders raise charges of anti-Semitism, a charge that is not always true. This hateful charge is losing its effectiveness through overuse. It is harmful to Jews around the world, including in Israel.
Fear-mongering, as the optimists say
The Israeli and American governments have had their differences in the past. Their forces are increasingly close, and in June they fought together for the first time against Iran. Once the Gaza war ends and a new Israeli prime minister take office, Israel’s interests in being close to the United States will once again be apparent. They say Israel’s preeminence in the Middle East means that the United States cannot ignore it.
This is wishful thinking. Long-term shifts in public opinion are more dangerous than disagreements between governments. These shifts, although slow to emerge, are difficult to reverse. When voters change their minds, political taboos can quickly crumble. Even today, some Israeli analysts worry that Joe Biden may be the last American president with instinctive Zionist leanings.
Military support based on a 10-year agreement
The current agreement, which provides Israel with $3.8 billion a year, expires in 2028 and must be renegotiated. But Israel is concerned that Trump will withhold money and is seeking to redefine the agreement as a “partnership.” Money is of little importance compared to sharing technology and ensuring access to advanced weapons, especially in times of war.
A new perspective
It is a mistake to assume that Netanyahu’s successor can fix things. Israel is also a “democracy”; a divided democracy in which many voters lean toward the nationalist-religious right. Gaza will remain an open wound even after the fighting stops. Powerful factions are determined to expand settlements and annex Gaza and parts of the West Bank.
Netanyahu recently spoke of Israel as a “super Sparta” (a closed, self-reliant economy modeled after Sparta in ancient Greece) that is ready to stand alone. While Israel fights in Gaza and attacks Arab capitals whenever it wants, it hopes that military dominance of the Middle East will enhance its security (!). This self-sufficient, power-oriented notion is a regrettable misunderstanding and could ultimately alienate Israel’s unique “guardian”; for Israel, there is no more dangerous strategic error than this.