For decades, Israel’s greatest strategic asset was not its army, nuclear capability or intelligence services. It was the extraordinary political support it enjoyed in the United States. Presidents of both parties treated Israel’s security as a permanent American commitment. Congress supplied weapons, money and diplomatic protection with little hesitation. Even when disagreements arose, the relationship remained secure because Israel enjoyed broad support among Americans.

That foundation is now cracking, and Benjamin Netanyahu bears the greatest responsibility. The change did not begin with the Gaza war. Years of occupation, settlement expansion and the disappearance of any credible political path for Palestinians had already damaged Israel’s image. But Gaza accelerated the transformation. The enormous scale of war crimes, displacement, starvation and destruction has changed how millions around the world see Israel.

Netanyahu responded to the Hamas attack of 7 October with a war that went far beyond any reasonable claim of military necessity. Entire neighbourhoods were destroyed. Families were buried under rubble. Hospitals, schools and civilian infrastructure were devastated. Hunger became a weapon of war. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over war crimes and crimes against humanity.

This is the Israel younger Americans have been watching. The polls show how dramatic the change is. A 2018 Gallup poll found 64 per cent of Americans sympathised more with Israelis and only 19 per cent with Palestinians. By 2022, that gap had narrowed to 55 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively. In 2023, 54 per cent and 31 per cent. By 2025, 46 per cent and 33 per cent. Then the historic reversal, the first since 2001: in Gallup’s 2026 survey, only 36 per cent sympathise more with Israelis and 41 per cent with Palestinians.

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