Axios
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wreaking havoc on Israel's standing with Americans as the Iran war supercharges a deterioration in relations with the U.S. Why it matters: Israel's polling collapse among younger Americans is hitting Congress, too. Lawmakers who started out staunchly pro-Israel are becoming increasingly vocal critics. "We need to have a discussion about how to normalize that relationship and what change is necessary; there's no doubt about that," Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) told Axios. Zoom in: Every Senate Democrat who's eyeing a 2028 presidential run voted against arms sales to Israel in votes earlier this week. 40 Senate Dems voted on a resolution to block arms sales to Israel, up from just 15 on a similar vote last April. Netanyahu is "destroying the bipartisan nature in terms of support for Israel," Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) told Punchbowl News . Over in the House, some Democrats are turning against defensive support, including funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system . That was "seen as insanely fringe four years ago," Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) told Axios. But multiple Democrats who voted for Iron Dome in 2021 told Axios they're done providing financial aid . The big picture: Older Republicans and white Evangelicals are the last groups to hold majority favorable views of Israel, according to recent Pew polling . For every other group, Israel's favorability has collapsed since 2022. ⬇️ Down 31 percentage points among older Democrats (ages 50+). ⬇️ Down 22 percentage points among both younger Republicans/GOP leaners and younger Dems/Dem leaners. ⬇️ Down 14 percentage points among Protestants, 23 among Catholics and 20 among the religiously unaffiliated. ⬇️ Even white Evangelical support, which was at 80% in 2022, has slid by 15 points.
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