Majority of Americans Now Oppose Military Aid to Israel as Support Shifts Toward Palestinians
“Israel has lost the American people.” That was the blunt assessment of journalist Krystal Ball after a new New York Times/Siena College poll revealed a stunning reversal in U.S. public opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
For the first time since the Times began polling on the issue in 1998, more Americans expressed sympathy for Palestinians (35%) than for Israelis (34%). The remaining 31% said they were unsure or expressed equal sympathy for both sides. The shift comes nearly two years into Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, which has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and left millions facing starvation under a blockade that cuts off food, fuel, and clean water.
A Break with Historical Trends
For decades, American public opinion, and U.S. foreign policy, tilted heavily in Israel’s favor. In 2011, Gallup found Americans were more than four times as likely to support Israelis than Palestinians, with fewer than 20% ever siding with Palestinians between 1988 and 2011.
After the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack, U.S. sympathy for Israel spiked again, with 47% backing Israel and only 20% backing Palestinians, according to the Times/Siena poll at the time. But attitudes have changed rapidly as Israel’s military assault on Gaza has continued.
By December 2023, just 22% of Americans believed Israel was intentionally targeting civilians. Today, that number has nearly doubled to 40%. Only 25% now say Israel is doing enough to avoid civilian deaths, down from 30% in 2023.
The Collapse of Support for U.S. Aid
Perhaps most politically significant is the collapse of support for U.S. military and economic aid to Israel. Since its founding, Israel has received more than $300 billion in U.S. assistance, most of it military. But today, a majority of voters oppose continuing that support.
68% of Americans aged 18–29 oppose U.S. funding for Israel.
62% of Americans aged 30–44 say the same.
Even among older voters, opposition to aid is rising sharply.
A Quinnipiac University poll last month recorded similar results, with 60% of voters opposing more U.S. military aid—the highest figure since the school began asking the question in late 2023. Journalist Glenn Greenwald called the generational shift “absolutely staggering,” noting that what was “unthinkable five years ago” is now entrenched in U.S. public opinion.
Political Fallout in Washington
For decades, support for Israel has been seen as a bipartisan certainty in Congress. But the Times/Siena poll, alongside other recent surveys, suggests lawmakers may now be out of step with the public.
Progressive voices argue the polling shows Democratic leaders can safely abandon reflexive support for Israel. Commentator Hasan Piker highlighted the June victory of Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee, who ran unapologetically on a platform critical of Israel’s occupation and apartheid policies.
“It’s not an area that you will be punished for, no matter how fearful you are of corporate donors, no matter how fearful you are of lobbying interests,” Piker said. “The people will back you.”
What Comes Next
This seismic shift in U.S. opinion could have profound consequences for Washington’s Middle East policy. With younger Americans overwhelmingly opposed to military aid, future administrations may face mounting pressure to break with decades of pro-Israel orthodoxy.
The poll underscores what activists and progressive lawmakers have been saying for years: U.S. policy on Israel is increasingly at odds with the values of its own citizens. The question now is whether Congress will adapt or continue to fund a war that much of the American public no longer supports.
