IDF operating in the Gaza Strip(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)
To halt the decline in US support, Israel must treat public diplomacy as a national security priority.
From Hunter Biden to Mandy Patinkin, blaming Israel, or more precisely, the Netanyahu government, for the rise in antisemitism has become fashionable in some progressive circles.
But let’s be clear: antisemitism is the fault of antisemites. Calls for violence against Jews or the annihilation of Israel’s seven million Jewish citizens – wrapped in slogans like “Globalize the Intifada” – aren’t policy critiques. They’re expressions of hate.
Yet at the same time, it’s time to confront a sobering truth: Israel’s public standing in America is collapsing. This is no longer just a public relations issue; it’s a national security crisis for both Israel and the United States.
Shifting climate on Capitol Hill
Last week, Jewish Insider reported that Jewish and pro-Israel staffers on Capitol Hill are increasingly isolated. Some say they’ve stopped talking about Israel altogether, even in offices that once viewed the US-Israel alliance as a given. One Hill staffer described the current climate as “hostile.”
When professionals who have long defended the alliance now feel politically sidelined, the alarm bells are blaring. A robust relationship depends not just on official policy but on people willing and able to advocate for it behind the scenes.
Public support is falling fast
A June 2025 Quinnipiac poll found only 37% of Americans now sympathize more with Israel, while 32% back Palestinians, and 31% are unsure. That’s a sharp drop from March, when Gallup showed 46% support for Israel, and a steeper fall from 51% the year before.Even Republican support is slipping, from 78% in 2024 to 64% today. Among Democrats, the collapse is even more dramatic: only 12% support Israel, while 60% back the Palestinians.
Even traditionally loyal voices are expressing concern. In a July statement, Senator Lindsey Graham – a staunch, long-time ally of Israel – criticized the Netanyahu government for failing to protect Christian holy sites. His rebuke, unthinkable just a year ago, reflects how deeply Israel’s image is deteriorating.
Moderate Democratic allies like former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro recently warned that Israel’s efforts to facilitate humanitarian food distribution in Gaza were “deeply insufficient” and risk alienating even friendly policymakers.
These shifts aren’t academic. Public opinion influences foreign policy. If Israel’s defenders in Congress feel they can no longer speak up, political support becomes brittle, especially when Israel needs it most.
Media narratives, strategic void
Much of the shift stems from the war in Gaza as media coverage omits context: Hamas embeds its fighters in civilian infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and apartment blocks, turning population centers into battlefields.
Viewers see destruction, but are rarely shown how asymmetric warfare shapes those scenes. As John Spencer, chair of Urban Warfare Studies, Modern War Institute at West Point, said, there are “no historical comparisons to what Israel has faced in Gaza,” with terrorists embedded in civilian zones, deliberately using human shields.
Terms like “settler colonialism” and “apartheid,” once academic jargon, have gone mainstream – not just on campuses but in Congress and on social media. Israel is losing the narrative battle partly because it hasn’t fully and effectively engaged or has just given up. This is understandable, as most protests in the week after October 7 targeted Israel itself, not the terrorists.
Israel cannot control TikTok or CNN, but it can control its strategy. Yet its public messaging is often late, reactive, and tone-deaf to American media and political culture.
The alliance is no longer assured
The current 10-year US-Israel Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed under president Barack Obama, provides $38 billion in military aid. However, the MOU is nearing expiration, and the political climate has undergone a significant shift.
A recent CNN poll showed that only 43% of Americans believe the US should play a leading global role. Among progressives, Israel is often viewed not as a democratic ally but as a liability deserving of no aid, including defensive help.
A reminder to the US
This alliance isn’t just about shared values or history. Israel remains a central pillar of American national security interests, as well as:
• the most stable and capable US ally in the Middle East
• a critical source of intelligence on Iran, Hezbollah, ISIS, and terror networks
• co-developer of missile defense systems like the Iron Dome
• a world leader in cybersecurity that protects US infrastructure
• a counterbalance to Iranian expansionism, and Russian and Chinese influence
• a partner in joint military training and doctrine
• a geographic hub enabling US force projection
To weaken this alliance would be to compromise American strategic posture in an increasingly unstable region.
What Israel must do
To halt the decline in US support, Israel must treat public diplomacy as a national security priority. Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer are familiar with the American landscape, they remain tone-deaf, surrounded by sycophants whose messages, even if accurate, fail to resonate with American audiences.
Israel urgently needs fresh, credible voices that can rebuild trust and effectively engage with diverse American communities.
1. Centralize and coordinate messaging across the Prime Minister’s Office, IDF, Foreign Ministry, and Diaspora groups.
2. Empower credible American voices – not just Israeli officials – to engage on social media, TV, and campuses.
3. Anticipate and counter disinformation with rapid, fact-based responses for allies and media.
4. Prioritize outreach to Gen Z and millennials with value and narrative-driven content.
5. Integrate humanitarian messaging proactively to address global concerns.
6. Increase transparency on military and humanitarian operations to build trust.
7. Leverage data analytics and AI to tailor messaging for diverse US audiences.
8. Strengthen partnerships with American Jewish and non-Jewish organizations and bipartisan policymakers.
9. Train spokespersons to communicate fluently and empathetically in US political and media contexts. Think Noa Tishby and Michael Oren.
10. Make consistent public diplomacy a strategic priority, recognizing that perception directly impacts policy and security.
Confront the Image
Antisemitism must never be excused under the veil of “legitimate criticism.” But Israel must also confront the fact that its image is deteriorating inside the very government that underwrites a large part of its security needs. When pro-Israel Jewish staffers in Congress feel silenced, sidelined, or exhausted, Israel should understand: the warning lights are flashing red.
Winning the narrative war among the 31% of Americans who are still undecided should now be a national priority, not an afterthought – backed by investment, strategy, and humility.
This article originally appeared in the Jerusalem Post on July 28, 2025.
The writer is the director of MEPIN (Middle East Political Information Network) and senior security editor for The Jerusalem Report. He regularly briefs members of Congress, the State Department, and foreign policymakers on Middle East strategy and US national security.