Poll finds nearly three-quarters of Democratic voters oppose aid to Israel

A new poll from The New York Times/Siena has found that nearly three-quarters of voters aligned with the Democratic Party oppose US military aid to Israel, up from 45 percent three years ago, as support for Israel continues to drop among US voters.

The poll released on Wednesday also found that nearly half of Democratic voters said that their party was too supportive of Israel, while 95 percent opposed the US-Israel war on Iran.

The survey is the latest to underscore a shifting political landscape on Israel-Palestine in the United States, driven by anger over Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and aggressive military campaigns across the Middle East.

While Israel has long been able to rely on the US for strong military, economic, and diplomatic support, Israel has seen its popularity plummet across numerous segments of US society, especially among Democrats and progressives, in recent years.

The poll found that 60 percent of Democratic voters said they were more sympathetic to the Palestinians than to Israel, while just 15 percent said they were more sympathetic to Israel.

Support for Israel among US voters is now largely concentrated among older voters.

A Pew Research Center poll released in April found that 84 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Republicans between the ages of 18-49 had an unfavourable view of Israel, compared with 76 percent and 24 percent, respectively, among those aged 50 and up.

But shifting public opinion has yet to be reflected in policy change at the higher levels of the Democratic Party, which continues to be led by stalwart supporters of Israel such as House Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Leader Chuck Schumer.

Republican President Donald Trump has also governed as a close ally of Israel, launching a joint war on Iran in late February that has long been a goal of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Despite some criticism from sections of the US right who believe Trump’s support for Israel and military intervention in the Middle East is at odds with his Make America Great Again (MAGA) worldview, the Pew poll found that 73 percent of Republicans trust the US president to make good decisions when it comes to the US-Israel relationship.