For decades, supporting Israel has been an automatic for the establishment class in both parties.
A major new poll says that's changing dramatically among base conservatives — even among the oldest Americans.
And the shift is bigger than anyone in the Washington, DC Swamp wants to admit.
Americans Calling US Support for Israel into Question as New Poll Shows Drop to Historic Low Across All Age Groups
The Gaza war and now the U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran have accelerated what was already in motion.
The joint military operation launched February 28 — 13 American service members killed so far, gas prices climbing — has given the America First wing of the right a concrete argument that cuts across party lines.
An NBC News poll, released this week, shows Republican voters’ support for Israel has crashed.
The drop to a slight 54 percent majority from a once 63 percent favorability among Republicans is a huge blow to the Netanyahu government.
Among voters 65 and older specifically, positive views of Israel dropped from 64 percent in 2023 to 55 percent today, while negative views nearly doubled from 12 to 21 percent.
Filling in the partisan picture, just 13 percent of Democrat voters now view Israel positively, down from 34 percent in 2023, while 57 percent view it negatively.
What the Gallup and NBC Poll Numbers Mean for the US-Israel Relationship
Twenty-five years is a long time for any political consensus to hold.
The Gallup streak survived every presidency, every war, every election cycle.
Now it hasn't.
Gallup still finds Americans view Israel more favorably than the Palestinian Territories as a country — 46 to 37 percent.
But that gap is narrowing too, and Israel's favorability is now near its all-time historical low.
Among Republicans specifically, favorability toward Israel has fallen 15 points in a single year to 69 percent — its lowest level in over two decades.
What the polls can't tell you is where the floor is.
The war in Iran is still ongoing.
Both debates are too.
Gallup Poll Finds Americans Now Sympathize More With Palestinians Than Israel for First Time in 25 Years
Gallup has been asking Americans who they sympathize with in the Middle East every year since 2001.
For 25 consecutive years, the answer was the same: Israel.
Not anymore.
A February Gallup survey found that 41 percent only 36 percent of Americans now side with the Israelis, while 41 percent sympathize more with the Palestinians — the first time Palestinians have led or tied in a quarter century of polling.
A year ago, Israelis still held a 13-point lead: 46 to 33.
That lead is gone.
The shift among independents drove most of the change.
By 41 to 30 percent, independents now say they sympathize more with the Palestinians — a complete reversal from every prior year on record, including last year when independents favored Israel 42 to 34.
Older Americans’ Support for Israel Now Below Majority Level
Here's the data point that cuts across party lines.
Among Americans 55 and older — historically the most pro-Israel age group — sympathy for Israel has dropped to its narrowest margin since 2005.
Forty-nine percent of older Americans still sympathize more with Israel, but 31 percent now side with the Palestinians.
Gallup notes this is the first time since 2005 that less than half of older Americans have expressed more sympathy for Israel.
The intra-Party Fight Now Playing Out in the GOP
The polling numbers aren't just data points — they're landing in the middle of an active political battle playing out in the Republican Party.
On the right, the fracture runs from the Israel First views of RINOs like Lindsey Graham to the America First, populist base who didn’t only begin supporting Trump once bombs started dropping.
Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, among others, have been openly questioning America's involvement in the Iran campaign — framing it as a departure from America First principles.
Greene said it directly on The Megyn Kelly Show: "Make America Great Again was supposed to be America first, not Israel first, not any foreign country first, not any foreign people first, but the American people first."
The war in Iran has given the debate new urgency
How US Public Opinion on Israel Shifted Before and After October 7
The Gallup data stretches back far enough to show something important about the pace of this shift.
From 2001 to 2018, the average gap in Americans' sympathies between Israelis and Palestinians was 43 points.
Forty-three points.
The erosion began before October 7, 2023 — Gallup notes the narrowing started as early as 2019.
Sources:
- Benedict Vigers, "Israelis No Longer Ahead in Americans' Middle East Sympathies," Gallup, February 27, 2026.
- Ben Kamisar, "Poll: Israel's standing plummets among Democrats, fueling primaries on the left," NBC News, March 16, 2026.
- Paul Steinhauser, "Americans' views of Israel turn sharply negative in new national poll," Fox News, March 16, 2026.
- "John Fetterman slams anti-Israel 'rot' in Democratic Party, rejects AOC claims of Gaza 'genocide'," Fox News, February 14, 2026.
- "Trump's MAGA base balks at war with Iran versus 'America First' promise," NPR, March 3, 2026.
- "Support for Israel among Democrats has plummeted more than 50% since October 7 attacks: new poll," Mediaite, March 16, 2026.
