Support for military support for Israel is declining in US political camps
(Image: Gal_Rotem/Shutterstock.com)
Lowest support levels in years. Decline among Republicans too. Our guest author takes a look at the current figures.
According to a Survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Only 41 percent of Americans support the idea of sending their own troops to defend Israel, even if it is attacked by its neighbors. That’s a drop from 53 percent in 2021 and the lowest level since the Council began polling in 2010.
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Support is dwindling – even among Republicans
Our guest author Aaron Sobczak
(Bild: LinkedIn)
Overall, according to the poll, 55 percent of Americans oppose sending troops to defend Israel. These numbers show a decline in support among Republicans, who are typically Israel’s biggest supporters, from 72 percent in 2021 to 55 percent today. Among Democrats, support fell from 42 percent in 2021 to 35 percent today.
The survey was conducted online from June 21 to July 1.
However, Americans continue to believe in a peace mission. According to the survey, 54 percent of Americans support the deployment of peacekeepers if an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians is reached and maintained.
The poll results come at a time when the region is on the brink of a major conflict. The US, as Israel’s staunch partner, stands ready if Israel is attacked by Hezbollah or Iranian allies in retaliation for the high-profile attacks of the past two weeks. On the other hand, it is unclear to what extent Washington is prepared to intervene if Israel itself starts a major conflict with Hezbollah or Iran.
Meanwhile, Iranian proxies attacked Americans in Iraq on July 5 and in Syria in late July. In addition, the United States has committed to protecting shipping off the coast of Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthis.
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Aggression by Iran and its proxies has increased, primarily in protest against Israel’s brutal conflict in the Gaza Strip, but also in response to Israel’s deadly attacks in Syria in April and Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukur in late July.
US citizens are not willing to send troops
While the US is reportedly trying to defuse tensions behind the scenes, it has moved more military resources to Israel and sent more naval ships and fighter jets to the region.
However, the Chicago Council poll shows that Americans remain unwilling to send US troops into another war zone, no matter how close the relationship.
Perhaps, after generations of endless wars, American political will is shifting toward some kind of international realism. Still, this should be a signal to Israel that it can only push its own escalation so far, that there are real limits to American support, including the deployment of American soldiers.
Aaron Sobczak Reporter for Responsible Statecraft and works for the Mises Institute. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international relations from Liberty University.
This text first appeared on our partner portal Responsible Statecraft in English
