American Voters Want a Change in Policy Towards Israel

Washington Watch

May 4, 2026

Dr. James J. Zogby ©

President

Arab American Institute

Recent polls of US voters by several national public opinion research companies demonstrate that there is a steep decline in overall support for Israel. For example, in February of this year, Gallup showed that when asked with whom they most sympathized, 41% of respondents said Palestinians as opposed to only 36% who named Israel. This stands in marked contrast with results to the same question asked by Gallup in 2023 in which 54% of respondents said they sympathized more with Israel while 36% said they were more sympathetic to Palestinians. Then, just a few weeks ago, Pew released a poll in which 60% of respondents had an unfavorable view of Israel. 

In order to better understand these changes in voters’ opinions, the roles played by Israel’s wars with Lebanon and the Palestinians in shaping their views, and how voters want the US government and members of Congress to respond,  the Arab American Institute and Voices for Justice in Palestine, a North Carolina advocacy group, commissioned  John Zogby Strategies to conduct a nationwide poll about these matters. In all, 1,001 likely US voters were surveyed (yielding results with a margin of error of +/-3.2).

What comes through quite clearly is that Israeli behaviors have fallen into disfavor with a plurality of American voters—even taking positions anathema to pro-Israel advocates. For example, overall, 41% voters agree that Israeli actions against Palestinians are “excessive and tantamount to genocide.” Only 32% disagree with that proposition. The margin among Democrats is substantially greater, with 57% agreeing that the term genocide applies to Israel’s actions, while only 17% disagree. Responses to a question as to whether the US should do more to pressure Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian lands yield similar results.

On these issues and others relating to Israeli behaviors there is consistent opposition to Israel policies coming mainly from voters who are either Democrats or Independents. The subgroups leading the opposition are voters who are younger or non-white. There is also a deep demographic split among voters who identify as Republicans, with younger Republicans (under 45 years old) expressing negative attitudes toward Israeli actions that are more aligned with Democrats than with older Republicans. In fact, in response to almost every question in the poll, the only real support base on which Israel can depend are older, white Republican voters. And this group is a dwindling minority in the overall electorate.

What also comes through in the poll is that there are electoral consequences associated with these changing attitudes among voters. A plurality of all voters say they would be more likely to support candidates who call for a reduction or an end to military aid to Israel (45% to 27%) or who say that they would reject funding or support from AIPAC-related sources (36% to 22%). Rejection is highest (substantially greater than two-to-one) among Democrats, Independents, and non-white voters.

One area where majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents (and all major demographic subgroups) are in agreement is that Israel should be held accountable and prosecuted for the killing of US citizens. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of all likely voters believe Israel should be held accountable as opposed to only 16% who do not want them prosecuted.

Much the same holds true when voters turn to addressing Israel’s bombing and occupation of Lebanon. By a two-to-one margin, likely US voters believe the administration should do more to pressure Israel to stop the bombing and to leave southern Lebanon. By almost the same two-to-one margin, voters express the concern that Israel’s bombing and occupation of Lebanon is harming US interests in the Middle East. In both instances, these margins hold for every major demographic group except Republicans, who are divided on these questions.

While voters express decidedly negative views with regard to Israeli behaviors and support for a US policy that applies pressure to restrain Israel and hold it accountable for its actions, the poll also establishes that a sizable minority (between one-quarter and one-third of all respondents) are honest in acknowledging that they would need more information before making decisions about some of the policy issues at stake.

As we approach the midterm elections there are signs that voters’ alienation of affection from Israel, its leadership and policies are already having an impact in Congress and the approaching midterm elections. This past month, 40 of 47 US Senators who are Democrats or caucus with the Democrats voted to block some military supplies to Israel—an unprecedented number of elected officials to take such a stand in an election year. And this included the majority of the Senators who were American Jews.  Scores of members of Congress have publicly pledged to reject the support of the powerful pro-Israel lobby in their reelection bids. A number of these members had once been major recipients of funds from pro-Israel donors. These are dramatic and consequential developments that are important to note moving forward.