Source: Politics<\/p>\n
The Republican Party is starting to splinter over support for Israel \u2014 and President Donald Trump\u2019s most loyal supporters are largely aligned with the embattled U.S. ally.<\/p>\n
New results from The POLITICO Poll<\/a> find that self-identified \u201cMAGA\u201d Trump voters are more supportive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s government and its relationship with the U.S. than those who don\u2019t identify as MAGA but still voted for the president.<\/p>\n Nearly half of MAGA Trump voters say they back Israel and approve of the actions of its current government, while just 29 percent of non-MAGA Trump voters say the same, according to the survey. A plurality of MAGA voters (41 percent) say Israel is justified in its military campaign in Gaza \u2014 compared with 31 percent of non-MAGA voters. And 24 percent of MAGA voters say the country was initially justified but has gone too far, compared with 31 percent of non-MAGA voters.<\/p>\n MAGA voters are moderately supportive of Israel, and the survey suggests they remain more willing to stick with the longtime U.S. ally even as divides inside the party deepen. The emerging fractures carry significant implications for the future of the U.S.-Israel alliance and GOP efforts to keep together the coalition that powered Trump back to the White House in an unfavorable midterm election.<\/p>\n Politics around the Middle East have rapidly changed in recent years. Support for Israel has long divided the Democratic Party<\/a>, with some Democrats blaming the Biden administration\u2019s approach to Gaza for costing them the White House in 2024. A 35 percent plurality of Americans who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris say Israel was initially justified in its actions in Gaza but has gone too far, while 27 percent say Israel\u2019s military campaign in Gaza was never justified and 28 percent don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n Only 10 percent of Harris voters believe that Israel is still justified in its conduct of the Gaza war. That figure underscores the near-total loss of support among Democrats for a military campaign that drew significant support from the Biden administration.<\/p>\n Republicans were powerfully unified in support of Israel in the immediate aftermath of Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7 attack. But amid the war with Iran and a growing unease about Trump\u2019s foreign interventions, the country\u2019s standing appears shaky among the non-MAGA wing of the GOP and among young conservatives. Non-MAGA voters are 10 points more likely than MAGA Trump voters to believe the Israeli government has too much influence over U.S. foreign policy, the survey conducted by Public First found.<\/p>\n Some of those cracks have spilled into public view, with high-profile Republicans like Tucker Carlson, former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Steve Bannon all criticizing America\u2019s close relationship with Israel, especially as the war in Iran escalates. Most Republican members of Congress, as well as conservative influencers like Laura Loomer and Ben Shapiro, have remained pro-Israel voices defending the president\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a sentiment right now within the Republican Party of, \u2018America First,\u2019 let\u2019s get out of all of the conflicts in the world, let\u2019s not be committed to those conflicts,” said Amnon Cavari, an associate professor at Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman University in Israel.<\/p>\n The poll reflects that dynamic, with a notable share of Trump 2024 voters \u2014 29 percent \u2014 saying that the president has spent too much time focusing on international affairs instead of domestic issues.<\/p>\n MAGA Trump voters are more tolerant of Trump\u2019s global agenda, with just 19 percent complaining that he has spent too much time on international affairs. That figure doubles to 40 percent among non-MAGA Trump voters.<\/p>\n The Israel issue is a particularly urgent flash point within the GOP coalition, but POLITICO\u2019s polling shows a consistent gap between Trump voters who identify as \u201cMAGA\u201d and those who do not. That divide has shown up on views of Trump\u2019s deportation campaign,<\/a>the war in Iran<\/a> and even his handling of economic concerns<\/a>.<\/p>\n The POLITICO Poll finds sharp generational divides among Republicans on issues related to Israel, with the youngest Trump voters more likely than the oldest to express uneasiness over America\u2019s relationship with Israel.<\/p>\n Thirty-two percent of Trump voters below 35 say the U.S. is too closely aligned with Israel\u2019s government, while 11 percent of Trump voters over 55 say the same.<\/p>\n When asked whether the U.S. should distance itself from Israel \u2014 even when the two nations face common threats \u2014 or work closely with the longtime ally to fend against common threats, the generational divide holds. Nearly half of Trump voters ages 18 to 34 say there should be distance between the two countries, while just 13 percent of Trump voters over 55 say the same.<\/p>\n James Fishback, a far-right 31-year-old Republican gubernatorial candidate in Florida who is highly critical of Israel and has gained traction among younger online \u201cAmerica First\u201d voices, said the GOP is poised for a \u201cmassive reckoning\u201d on the Middle Eastern nation, \u201cthe first of which we’re going to see this November, and in the primaries right before that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then we’re set up for the ultimate proxy war on this Israel question in the [2028] Republican primary, and then in the general,\u201d he said. \u201cI just don’t see a staunchly pro-Israel candidate becoming the Republican nominee.\u201d<\/p>\n The generational divide in the GOP in many ways mirrors breaks within the Democratic Party<\/a>, whose younger voters also hold stronger views against Israel\u2019s influence and actions, driven in large part by the rising death toll and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, polling shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that [Israel has] lost support among young Democrats is not surprising,\u201d said Cavari. \u201cThe fact that they are losing rapidly among young Republicans is especially alarming, and the trend is very clear.\u201d<\/p>\n The involvement of pro-Israel groups in competitive primaries has become a flashpoint on both sides of the aisle.<\/p>\n The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, an influential advocacy group that aims to elect candidates<\/a>in both parties who strongly support Israel, has faced backlash for its involvement in Democratic primaries in New Jersey<\/a> and Illinois<\/a>. AIPAC is also involved in Republican primaries, and some GOP voters are uneasy about its role.<\/p>\n But AIPAC is also playing on the Republican side \u2014 and the GOP is beginning to split over it. The survey finds that MAGA Trump voters are 14 points more supportive of AIPAC\u2019s political interventions than their counterparts in the coalition, while non-MAGA Trump voters are 11 points more likely to oppose AIPAC\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n Deryn Sousa, a spokesperson for AIPAC, said in a statement that \u201cmillions of Americans are members of AIPAC because they want to strengthen an alliance that advances America\u2019s interests and values, and we will stay focused on building the largest possible bipartisan pro-Israel coalition in Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n AIPAC has bundled for several GOP incumbents, including Sens. John Cornyn in Texas and Bill Cassidy in Louisiana, who are both at risk of losing their seats. The group, along with the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund, has also poured millions into attempting to oust GOP Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky, in part for opposing aid to Israel and attempting to rein in Trump\u2019s war powers in Iran and elsewhere.<\/p>\n Even as AIPAC has become a dividing line among highly engaged voters in both parties, a 30 percent plurality of Americans have never heard of the organization or don\u2019t know enough to share an opinion.<\/p>\n \u201cPolls will go up and down,\u201d said Patrick Dorton, the spokesperson for AIPAC\u2019s super PAC, United Democracy Project. \u201cObviously we\u2019re in a post-Gaza, Iran war environment.\u201d<\/p>\n AIPAC\u2019s electoral arm, Dorton said, will continue to be \u201csubstantive in making the case for the U.S.-Israel relationship.\u201d<\/p>\nGenerational divides on Israel<\/h4>\n
The AIPAC factor<\/h4>\n