Israeli Security Expert Warns: We Are Losing American Youth Forever

SadaNews - An Israeli security expert warned that the United States is undergoing a profound transformation that he sees as more dangerous than any diplomatic crisis currently facing Israel, characterized by the loss of an entire generation of American youth. Avishai Ben Sasson Gordis, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, explained in an article published by the Jerusalem Post that this transformation is not a transitory political disagreement, but a historical rupture between generations that could leave Israel without a popular ally in the United States within the next few decades. He confirmed that Israel's global standing has deteriorated since its war in Gaza, even among its Western allies, some of whom have begun to support its boycott or restrict arms exports to it, while others have recognized a Palestinian state. However, the most prominent decline - in his view - has occurred within the United States, where opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans disapprove of Israel's actions in Gaza, and negative perceptions of it have reached unprecedented levels, with sympathy for the Palestinians now surpassing sympathy for Israel in some surveys. A public relations campaign is not enough to save Israel; "only changing policies towards the Palestinians and integrating minorities within Israel can halt the decline in Israel's image among the rising generation." He noted that these "negative" sentiments were reflected in a survey conducted by Quinnipiac University last August, where 60% of participants supported restricting U.S. military aid to Israel. He added that with the ceasefire coming into effect, Israel faces a difficult task of rebuilding its international standing. However, what concerns the author is not the momentary shift in numbers, but who is leading this shift: the young American generation, particularly those aged 18 to 34. Polls have shown that the stance of this age group is the most critical of Israel compared to older generations, and this difference is not linked to party affiliation; young Democrats and Republicans tend to have a negative view. Even among white evangelical Christians, who have long been Israel's strongest popular supporters, support among their youth has noticeably declined. The author describes this downturn as the "generational abyss." The security expert links this shift to three factors: first, that the political formative moments of this generation occurred during the Gaza war, where images of destruction in their consciousness were associated with phrases like "genocide" and "colonial violence," in parallel with social justice movements and freedom of expression within American universities. From this perspective, Israel has become a "symbol of the struggle against injustice" entrenched in the consciousness of this new generation. The second factor is that this generation has no memory of the Holocaust during World War II, the Cold War, or peace negotiations, but many see Israel as a client state that causes problems at best. The third factor in this transformation lies, according to the article, in the social relations climate that makes uninterested American youth in politics avoid expressing support for Israel to not become outcasts within their communities, forcing many to remain silent even if they are not opposed to it. In the writer's estimation, this shift has begun to leave its impact on American politics; more than half of the Senate Democrats voted to restrict arms sales to Israel, while young politicians - like newly elected New York Mayor Zahran Mamdani - have emerged with explicit anti-Zionist positions. The author concludes that a public relations campaign is not enough to save Israel; "only changing policies towards the Palestinians and integrating minorities within Israel can halt the decline in Israel's image among the rising generation." Source: Haaretz