When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Israel on the first day of the Iran war, an underlying theme of his remarks was that the war was being prosecuted, in his words, “in full coordination with our friends in the US.”

Almost seven weeks later, the war is in the midst of a shaky ceasefire, with some of its declared goals unmet. But one thing is becoming clear: Israel’s friends in the US are disappearing fast.

One year ago, Israel’s poll numbers in the US looked pretty bad, with a solid majority of American Democrats, and half of Republicans under 50, expressing unfavorable views of the country, according to a Pew survey.

Since then, a few developments could have indicated sunnier days ahead for Israel’s popularity among the citizens of its closest ally: A US-brokered ceasefire has been in effect in Gaza for more than six months; countries in the Middle East — from the Gulf to Lebanon — appear to be coming into strategic alignment with Israel; Jerusalem and Washington have jointly embarked on not one but two military operations against Iran, a country many Americans have described as a threat.

Amid it all, Israel’s polling numbers in the US have gotten even worse.

While in Israel, the Iran war is seen as a shared fight against an existential threat, in the US, many view it as an unnecessary conflict that’s going badly and costing the country.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu appears to be relying increasingly on the goodwill of US President Donald Trump, who is also unpopular, and whose feelings are famously fickle.

Israel’s plummeting popularity

According to the latest Pew survey, 60 percent of Americans dislike Israel, including the majority of Democrats and independents, and more than 40% of Republicans. Most Americans under 50, across all parties, have unfavorable views of the country. More than a quarter of Americans........

© The Times of Israel