Is Israel losing America?

Is Israel losing America?

I’m not saying that it is.

I’m not saying that it isn’t.

But something is happening.

Anti-Israel animus that once might have been dismissed as being limited to the political extremes has moved toward the middle.

You can suggest that people are being manipulated, but, manipulation or not, the center is shifting, with implications on several fronts.

I am not talking just about polls, though surveys show a softening in public support for Israel, a trend more pronounced among Democrats, though also found in Republican ranks, and notable in younger age cohorts of both parties.

I am not talking just about noise on social media, though this should not be dismissed, particularly those online forums where younger voters consume more of their news (and questionable content) than their elders.

I am not talking just about electoral politics, though in this cycle Israel has become an ideological litmus test, particularly where progressive Democrats question whether a candidate is sufficiently critical of Israel.

I am not talking just about political rhetoric, though the frequency of statements about Israel suggests a calculated response to changes in public opinion.

I am not talking just about Congress, though resolutions calling for restricting weapons sales to Israel attracted attention for the votes they received, despite their ultimate defeat.

I am talking about a gut feeling, a stew of all the above, seasoned with what I see, hear, and read from a wide variety of sources, having spent some years following this topic.

Granted, I am speaking in broad terms.

To be sure, Israel retains significant backing from the American public at-large, though to a lesser degree among young adults.

From where I sit, a growing number of Americans view Israel as something less than “a light unto the nations,” or as possessing “the world’s most moral army,” or even as an indispensable ally in a difficult region.

Much of this stems from the extent of Israel’s response to Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists slaughtered 1,200 men, women, and children in kibbutzim, towns, and an outdoor music festival in a section of Israel known as the “Gaza envelope.”

In addition to the deaths of tens of thousands of non-combatants (and thousands of combatants), Israel’s military campaign in Gaza displaced some 1.9 million people and destroyed much of its infrastructure.

Many Jewish Americans feel challenged by a gap between their ideal of Israel as a “light unto the nations” and what they see in today, not just Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza, but what appears to be a reluctance to rein in attacks by settlers in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) on infrastructure and households in Palestinian enclaves, and a prime minister at the head of the most ring-wing government in Israel’s history, who has deflected responsibility for the events of Oct. 7 and is embroiled in corruption trials while seeking re-election.

Support for Israel among Jewish Americans is greater among those religiously affiliated, compared with the unaffiliated, and weaker among younger Jewish adults.

The voices I hear within the community range from those whose exasperation with Israel has caused them to question the depth of their affinity to others seemingly less troubled by these issues and supportive of the government.

Easy as it may be to blame the spike in antisemitic activity since Oct. 7 on social media influencers, or left-leaning faculty, or the pro-Palestinian far left and anti-Jewish far right, Israel’s leaders need to recognize that the welfare of the Jewish community is not divorced from their actions.

The perpetrators who harass and commit acts of violence against Jewish Americans care little that “Israel” and “Jewish” are not interchangeable terms or that there is great diversity of opinion within the Jewish American community regarding Israel.

The level of public support also plays into the debate over U.S. military aid to Israel, which currently stands at $3.8 billion annually (including $500 million for missile defense), under a 10-year agreement that expires in 2028, in addition to some $17 billion-plus in war time supplements since 2023.

Should Israel be treated like other U.S. allies?

Should Israel’s purchases of U.S.-made weaponry be handled the same as purchases by other countries?

Should U.S. aid to Israel be reduced, eliminated, or restructured?

These questions increasingly are being asked by people who once might have been inclined to give Israel the benefit of the doubt, to trust an Israeli government, and to admire the building of the “Jewish state” (in which, it bears repeating, 20 percent of the citizenry is not Jewish).

I’m not saying that Israel is losing America.

I’m not saying that it isn’t.

But something is happening.