Opinion polls show a noticeable decline in Israel's popularity among Americans. How did Tel Aviv transform from an ally of Washington into a "burden" on American politics and politicians since it began its war on Gaza?

An analysis of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz monitored how support for Israel, which was a settled matter before the war on Gaza, has declined significantly over the past weeks, and how Israeli policies have become unpopular in a way that is impossible to deny, turning Israel from a major ally of America in the Middle East into a burden on Washington.

Support for the Biden administration and declining support for Israel

From the first moment of the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, Joe Biden announced his absolute support for Israel, and promoted its misleading narrative regarding the war in Gaza. The American President’s complete adoption of the Israeli narrative reached the point of questioning the number of dead from the barbaric bombing of the Gaza Strip. But with the passage of time, the tone of the American discourse towards the Israeli aggression began to change noticeably, without changing the level of military and logistical support, which observers attribute to multiple reasons, most notably the sharp internal division regarding the position on Israel and the Palestinians.

Since October 7, the day of the Al-Aqsa Flood military operation, the Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, has launched a brutal, barbaric and uncontrolled aggression against the Gaza Strip, which is inhabited by 2.3 million Palestinians, and imposed collective punishment measures against the residents of the Strip, completely cutting off electricity, water and food. An air, sea, and land bombardment campaign began, which is still ongoing.

The Israeli aggression caused a sharp division in American society, as 61% of American voters support a ceasefire in Gaza, according to recent opinion polls, but at the same time the official American position remains almost the same, as only 14% support an immediate and permanent ceasefire. % of lawmakers in Congress, according to a report by the American website Responsible Statecraft that sheds light on the growing division within the corridors of American politics.

According to Haaretz's analysis, Israel's ignoring of these disturbing trends on the American street represents a major mistake on the part of Israeli officials. Although Israel still enjoys greater popularity than the Palestinians, the percentage of support for Israel has declined sharply compared to the rise in support for the Palestinians.

What does the rise in popular support for the Palestinian cause mean?

The Israeli newspaper's analysis stopped at the remarkable rise in support for the Palestine issue in American universities and schools in particular and American society in general, which is reflected in the massive and continuous demonstrations since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, in addition to what is confirmed by multiple opinion polls in this regard.

If this trend is reflected in one opinion poll, it may be ignored or considered a negative aspect directly linked to a dominant event on the political scene. However, if the same result appears in two opinion polls, it must draw attention, and repeating the same result in 3 polls is worthy. With study and scrutiny, because it indicates a general trend that is in the process of being formed.

But when a variety of opinion polls conducted by multiple parties with diverse orientations and affiliations show low support for Israel and a decisive rejection of the way US President Joe Biden dealt with the war on Gaza, the matter becomes a reason not only for an individual analysis of each result, but also for an attempt to draw conclusions that may not be apparent in the past. The moment is immediate, but it exists and often forms public opinion, according to Haaretz's analysis.

The American scene and the position there towards Israel seem complicated, because the majority of opinion polls in recent months have shown, since before the current aggression on Gaza, that public support for Israel and not for the Netanyahu government and its extreme right-wing policies is still prevalent in the United States.

But this impression may be misleading in the long run; This is because of one element, but it is very important, and this element is the younger generations of Democratic voters who criticize Israel or even show clear hostility towards it, and the younger generations here refer to the age group between 18 and 34. The war on Gaza naturally led to increased criticism and hostility towards Israel among this group.

What is certain in this context, according to Haaretz, is that the aforementioned opinion polls were conducted by multiple and highly credible bodies, and when the results of these polls are put together, they reflect a general trend within American society critical of Israel as a whole or the policies of its current government headed by Netanyahu.

Did the aggression against Gaza make Israel a burden on America?

A deeper analysis of American opinion polls indicates a general trend among young people in general, and those registered as Democrats or independents in particular, which is to consider Israel an occupying state that must withdraw from the Palestinian territories in order to establish an independent State of Palestine. It is certain that this opinion existed on a lesser scale before the aggression. The current situation in Gaza, but the scenes of widespread destruction and civilian casualties have deepened this opinion and transformed it into something resembling public opinion.

In the same context, major American media outlets recently began directing harsh criticism at Netanyahu and his government, a trend that seems likely to escalate further in light of the public disagreement between Biden and Netanyahu regarding the course of the war on Gaza and the fate of prisoners and detainees in the Strip, including those who hold American citizenship.

The other point in this context relates to American interests in the region and around the world, which are being exposed to damage that is difficult to ignore, due to Washington’s official position that is biased towards and supportive of Israel in a way that makes the United States a partner in the crimes committed by the occupation army on the one hand, and exposes American interests to more Damage on the other hand.

The explosive situation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, where the Houthis are attacking ships and tankers related to Israel, and Washington’s announcement of the formation of a naval force to ensure freedom of navigation there, represents another element of the division within America, where there is a growing rejection of America’s involvement in more conflicts. around the world. This position, which stems, of course, from Israel's aggression against Gaza, makes Tel Aviv a "burden" on American policy rather than a strategic ally.

These data, which are highlighted by opinion polls related to the aggression against Gaza, indicate a noticeable increase in criticism of Israel, but the coolness in relations between America and Israel is not the result of the current aggression against Gaza. Talk about ending military aid to Tel Aviv has become increasingly popular after it was once a “taboo.” 

It is true that Israel and America have very strong and strategic alliance relations, but the differences between Tel Aviv and Washington had reached an unprecedented stage, which some attributed to the tension in relations between Netanyahu and Biden.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s relationship with Joe Biden was not good in general, but the huge division in Israel due to judicial reforms or a judicial coup and Washington’s interference in what is happening and matters reaching the point of accusations of collusion and veiled messages, saying: “Do not come to visit us.” These are all historical precedents in relations between the two countries.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz had published a report a month and a half before the “Al-Aqsa Flood” monitoring how the discussion of ending US military aid to Israel had become increasingly popular, which is a radical shift, of course, as any talk that fell under the heading of “criticism” of Tel Aviv was leading to “ Guillotine, the most powerful Jewish lobby ever in Washington.

But the last week of last August witnessed a debate broadcast by the American television network PBS between a former American ambassador to Israel and a senior White House official, which fell under the category of “smashing taboos” and was completely unimaginable before. During which they discussed whether the time had come to stop American military support for Israel. The issue, which was previously thought to have a comprehensive consensus in American politics, has become a controversial topic in Washington.

In the debate, Dan Kurtzer, the former US ambassador to Israel between 2001 and 2005 during the administration of President George W. Bush, expressed his support for the idea. He said that Israel does not share democratic values with the United States, and is stable enough and able to take care of itself.

Dennis Ross, who was responsible for the Israeli-Palestinian issue during the Clinton administration in the 1990s, did not explicitly oppose stopping this aid, but he warned that the time was not appropriate for that, and it might encourage what he described as “enemies” of Israel to attack it if they saw a weakness in the American support provided. she has. But even the Jewish lobby supporting Israel in America no longer has the same influence and as it did before the current war on Gaza, according to American media reports.

source: Arabic Post