What happens when your strongest relationship becomes a liability? In the wake of Israel’s war in Gaza after the Oct. 7 attack by the militant group Hamas, global public opinion has defied expectations. Sympathy initially favored Israel after Hamas killed 1,139 Israelis and prompted the invasion of Gaza, but Israel’s activity in the enclave has proven massively controversial. Gaza, home for 2.1 million Palestinians civilians, half of whom are children, lies in ruin. At the time of writing at least 30,000 civilians, predominantly women and children, have been killed during the war.
Israel’s conduct in Gaza has earned international condemnation from governments. In December, South Africa took Israel to the International Court of Justice, accusing it of genocide in Gaza. Recent Gallup polls show the majority of Americans now disapprove of Israel’s actions in Gaza, with 55% disapproving and only 36% approving of the conduct of the war. A CBS News and YouGov poll found only 33% of Americans approve of President Biden’s handling of the war.
Such numbers are unprecedented in the history of American-Israeli relations, arguably the most robust bilateral relationship in the world. American support for Israel has been essential to the country’s foundation and survival amid regional hostilities. Israeli lobbyists enjoy a prominent position in American institutions: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israeli lobbying group, sees bipartisan support in the government and now plans “to spend $100m this year against congressional candidates … critical of Israel,” the Guardian reports.
So emphatic is American support for Israel that House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed that the recent $26 billion package to Israel was guided by his belief that “God is going to bless the nation that blesses Israel…It’s also our biblical admonition. This is something that’s an article of faith for us.”
But the recent dissent against Israel isn’t limited to civilian opinion. Even Connecticut’s own Sen. Chris Murphy has urged a cessation of military activity, saying on Feb. 29 that “the appalling scenes from Gaza City today and the staggering civilian death toll that has already occurred in Gaza are not in Israel’s nor the United States’ interest, and they necessitate an urgent change in course.”
Israel’s closest allies were outraged by the Israeli massacre of civilian aid workers belonging to the World Central Kitchen in April, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying, “If we don’t see the changes we need to see, there will be a change in our policy.”
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Although most Americans are still supportive of Israel overall albeit critical of the war in Gaza, the significant generational gap in support tells a more pressing story. Adults aged 18-29 in America now sympathize more with the cause of Palestinians than Israelis, according to the Pew Research Center. Whereas 76% of adults aged 65 and over support Israel, 60% of young adults say they support Palestinians more. And 34% of young adults say that Hamas has valid reasons for fighting Israel, compared with 30% saying Hamas does not.
This generational gap greatly impacts American-Israeli relations. In Michigan, a key swing state for the upcoming presidential election, over 100,000 Democratic primary voters cast ballots for “uncommitted,” often in cities where Arab-Americans comprise a large population.
Student protests are sweeping the country. At Columbia University, student demonstrations and their demands that the university divest from corporations with ties to Israel led to the cancellation of in-person classes and mass arrests by the New York police. Here in Connecticut at Yale University, dozens of students have been arrested for the same activities.
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As a Muslim, knowing that the vast majority of our body of 2 billion adherents are critical of Israel, I understand that my position is not a radical exception. For 80 years in much of the world, criticism of Israel has been the norm, and now this disapproval is extending to the lands of Israel’s allies.
America was unable to simply dismiss the wave of protests during the Vietnam War. The protests helped to end the war. America’s commitment to Israel is far stronger, but the changing tide of public opinion is likely to have a similar impact in the future. Youth protests against America’s alliance with Israel could conceivably cost President Biden the election in November.
There’s little reason for America to continue unconditional devotion to an alliance that now produces domestic harm. The more our leaders deny the collapse of Israel’s reputation, the more aggressive the backlash will become. Instead of our politicians suggesting that the National Guard suppress student protests or passing bills censoring criticism of Israel, perhaps they should consider why youths have become critical of Israel — why seeing images and videos online of dying Palestinian children maimed by weaponry financed by our own tax dollars would lead people to develop sympathy for Palestinians.
It isn’t a mystery.
Hasim Veliju is a junior at Central Connecticut State University.