For the first time in several years, a majority of Americans say they oppose sending U.S. troops to defend Israel if it is attacked by a neighboring country, according to a poll by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
American support for Israel remains strong among both politicians and the general public, but 55% of respondents say they oppose sending US troops to defend Israel against a military attack – compared to 41% who say they support such action.
The Israel lobby, led by AIPAC, has a very strong influence on the Republican Party, with as many as 55% of voters saying they want to send troops – among Democratic or independent voters, just over a third (35%) support sending US troops to help Israel.
It should be noted that the survey, released yesterday, was conducted between June 21 and July 1 and polled 1,056 American adults recruited through random sampling by the Ipsos polling panel. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh had not been assassinated at the time of the survey, nor had Iran threatened to retaliate against Israeli targets.
Downward trend
The Chicago Council survey also shows a clear downward trend in American support for sending military forces to Israel. The latest figure (41%) is the lowest since the question was first asked in 2010, and as recently as 2021, a majority (53%) of the population supported such a plan.
Although the United States is Israel’s most important ally, there is no formal requirement or obligation for the US to come to Israel’s defense – or vice versa. In practice, however, the Israeli invasion of Gaza was made possible in large part by US support and US weapons.
Another poll released in early March showed that a majority (55%) of Americans opposed Israel’s invasion of Gaza, which has now cost nearly 40,000 Palestinian lives. A third poll, conducted by Gallup late last year, found that about half of Americans want to send troops to help Israel, while half are opposed.
