For a quarter century, support for Israel was one of the safest bets in American politics. Democrats backed it. Republicans backed it. Questioning it was political suicide.
That era is over.
A new survey from Gallup just delivered a political aftershock: For the first time in 25 years, more Americans sympathize with Palestinians than Israelis — or at least no longer clearly side with Israel.
The automatic pro-Israel majority that defined Washington since 2001 has collapsed.
The Numbers Washington Hoped You Wouldn’t Notice
Three years ago, 54% of Americans sympathized more with Israelis. Just 31% leaned toward Palestinians.
Now?
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41% sympathize more with Palestinians
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36% sympathize more with Israelis
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The rest are split, neutral, or unsure
That 5-point difference falls within the margin of error — but politically, the symbolism is explosive.
The once-commanding Israeli lead has evaporated.
This isn’t a blip. It’s a structural shift.
Gaza Didn’t Start It — But It Supercharged It
The Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken, initially drew widespread sympathy for Israel.
Then came the response.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has left over 72,000 Palestinians dead according to Gaza health officials, with entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Progressive activists now use the word “genocide.” Israel categorically rejects that label.
But whatever term people use, millions of Americans watched the devastation unfold in real time on social media.
And it changed them.
The polling shows the shift was already underway before the war. Gaza accelerated it.
Democrats Have Flipped. Independents Just Followed.
This is where the story becomes politically combustible.
About two-thirds of Democrats now say their sympathies lie more with Palestinians. Only about 2 in 10 side more with Israelis.
In 2016, roughly half of Democrats leaned toward Israel.
That collapse in support didn’t happen by accident.
Independents — the voters who often decide elections — have now crossed the line too. For the first time, they express more sympathy for Palestinians than Israelis.
Republicans remain overwhelmingly pro-Israel, with about 7 in 10 siding with Israelis. But even there, support has dipped to its lowest point in over two decades.
The bipartisan consensus is cracking in real time.
The Netanyahu Problem
Much of this collapse is inseparable from one man: Benjamin Netanyahu.
His long tenure, rightward political shift, and expansion of settlements in the West Bank have alienated large swaths of American liberals. His close alliance with Donald Trump further cemented Israel as a partisan symbol rather than a bipartisan cause.
For many young Americans, support for Israel now feels like a culture-war statement, not a foreign policy position.
That’s a dramatic reversal from just a decade ago.
The Generational Revolt
Young adults are leading what amounts to a political rebellion.
Among Americans aged 18 to 34:
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Roughly half sympathize more with Palestinians
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Only about a quarter sympathize more with Israelis
Campus protests exploded across the country during the war, demanding divestment from Israel and condemning U.S. military aid.
But here’s what makes this more than a youth movement:
Americans aged 35 to 54 have also shifted — now expressing more sympathy for Palestinians than Israelis. Even those over 55, long the most pro-Israel bloc, show their narrowest pro-Israel margin in two decades.
This is not a temporary protest wave.
It’s a generational realignment.
The Two-State Illusion
Here’s another twist: 57% of Americans support an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel — near a 23-year high.
But when people living in the region were asked in 2025, only about 3 in 10 Israelis and Palestinians supported that outcome.
Americans now believe in a compromise that many directly involved no longer see as realistic.
The disconnect is stunning.
Why This Matters
Public opinion doesn’t change foreign policy overnight.
But eventually, it does.
For decades, U.S. military aid, diplomatic cover, and political backing for Israel were treated as sacred constants. If younger voters maintain these views, the next decade could look very different.
The numbers suggest something deeper than dissatisfaction with one war.
They suggest a moral and political shift in how Americans view power, occupation, and human rights in the Middle East.
Israel hasn’t lost America entirely.
But it has lost its automatic majority.
And in politics, once that’s gone, nothing is guaranteed anymore.