Haaretz: The Next Generation of American Republicans Is Distancing Itself from Israel

SadaNews - The American Republican Party is undergoing a rapid ideological shift with the generational change, particularly among young conservatives and the populist movement, leading to a significant decline in traditional support for Israel, threatening the party’s longstanding consensus with its rival Democratic Party regarding the special relationship between Washington and Tel Aviv, according to an opinion article published by Haaretz.

Journalist Nathaniel Sliomovitz accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by international justice, of playing a pivotal role in the erosion of Democratic support for Israel through his violent methods and alignment with Republicans.

Although former President Donald Trump and the older generation of Republican leaders still support Israel, the populist MAGA movement he founded has begun to show increasingly isolationist tendencies and skepticism regarding the wisdom of American involvement in wars and commitments in the Middle East, including unconditional support for Israel, as stated in Haaretz's article.

The article's author pointed out that opposing voices have started to emerge among key conservative figures such as Steve Bannon - who managed Trump’s first presidential campaign in 2016 and is one of the architects of the thriving populist movement - and prominent American broadcaster Tucker Carlson, both of whom openly criticize Netanyahu, describing him as an instigator pushing America towards wars.

Moreover, far-right American politician and businesswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and other figures close to Trump are all questioning Israel's moral standing and its strategic importance.

In this context, JD Vance, the Vice President of the United States, called in a speech for Israel and Sunni countries in the Middle East to take responsibility for "regulating the region," allowing America to make a gradual withdrawal.

Additionally, podcasters and media figures (like Theo Von and Tim Dillon) reflect the rising digital anger among young people regarding Israeli influence in American politics.

The Pivotal Moment

In an interview with The New York Times, Bannon did not hide his disdain for Netanyahu, whom he described as a war advocate leading Trump into war by exaggerating the Iranian nuclear threat. In that interview, addressing Netanyahu, he said: "You started a war and ignited a conflict that you do not have the military capability to end, and then had no choice but to rely on us."

Support for Israel has been a bipartisan consensus in the United States since its establishment in 1948, according to Sliomovitz, recalling what President John F. Kennedy said in 1962 to then-Israeli Foreign Minister Golda Meir, that "the United States has a special relationship with Israel in the Middle East, similar only to its relationship with Britain."

However, the Israeli journalist points out in his article that Netanyahu has systematically undermined the relationship with the Democratic Party and its voters for more than a decade until he severed it. "Now, he seems to have significantly contributed to bringing about a radical change in Republican public opinion."

The pivotal moment in the rupture between Israel and the Democratic Party - in his opinion - was the Israeli Prime Minister's speech to the U.S. Congress in 2015, when Republican members of the largest legislative body in the United States invited him to attack the nuclear deal negotiated by President Barack Obama's administration.

Sliomovitz claimed that this "deliberate choice" to burn bridges with the Democratic Party led to a violent backlash that was already evident during the "Guardian of the Walls" operation launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip in May 2021 when a series of public opinion polls showed that support for Israel among Democrats fell below 50% for the first time, and the decline has continued unabated since then.

Disintegration and Distrust

Haaretz’s article emphasized that populist leaders have started to speak about how the support given to Israel contradicts Trump’s "America First" slogan, considering that Israel is pushing the United States into wars in which it has no interest and adopting social values that conflict with conservative Christian values in America (such as support for abortion rights and LGBTQ rights).

Similar to progressive voices in the Democratic Party, the article's author reported that voices within the Trump movement are calling for a reduction of the political influence of pro-Israel groups, such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

He added that there are also calls to close U.S. bases in the Middle East following the recent war with Iran, with warnings that Israel might drag the United States back into conflicts in which it has no stake.

The essence of what the author wants to emphasize is that what was previously considered American consensus on supporting Israel is beginning to disintegrate. Among young Republicans and the Trump-aligned populist movement, there is a rising wave of skepticism and questioning about the nature of the relationship with Israel, calling for foreign policies that prioritize American interests first, rather than protecting allies viewed today with suspicion.

Source: Haaretz