For many years, support for Israel brought Washington together across party lines. Now Israel's military campaign in Gaza, the conflict involving Iran, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strong links to US Republicans are weakening Democratic support and risk turning one of America's key alliances into a partisan matter.

Democratic voter backing for Israel has dropped sharply, candidates who criticize Israel are succeeding in primaries, and even moderate members of Congress are more ready to question years of American assistance to Israel.

The change shows clearly in Congress. This month nearly half of House Democrats backed a failed amendment to end aid to Israel, a step that once would have lost by a wide bipartisan margin. Israel gets $3.8 billion in annual US military aid plus billions more in recent emergency funding.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and several deputies opposed the proposal as too sweeping. Yet former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark voted in favor.

Democrats now disagree over whether military aid should stay the same, be limited to defensive arms, or stop entirely.

Vigorous Debate and Hope for Bipartisan Renewal

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he hopes Israeli elections in October will help restore bipartisan US support and start a fresh chapter after Netanyahu.

New governments can shift course, Coons told Reuters, noting that Netanyahu has kept Israel at war for years partly to sidestep political fallout from his decisions.

Overall views of Israel are cooling. A June Quinnipiac University poll showed 48 percent of voters and 66 percent of Democrats now say the United States is too supportive of Israel, up from 16 percent and 20 percent when the question was first posed in 2017.

There is vigorous debate, yet across broad parts of both parties support for Israel stays mainstream, said Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations.

Israel Emerges as Flashpoint in Michigan Democratic Primary

The change faces a key test in Tuesday's Democratic US Senate primary in Michigan, where voters will choose between competing views on US support for Israel as more congressional Democrats question long-standing military aid.

The contest between progressive Abdul El-Sayed and Representative Haley Stevens will set the nominee to face Republican Mike Rogers in November and highlights the wider Democratic discussion on Israel.

Stevens released a video with AIPAC stressing that close ties with Israel bring trade, economic growth, and protection of freedoms. El-Sayed countered that the choice is whether to send money to Israel for what he called genocide and apartheid or to invest in American children instead.

A UN inquiry and several human rights groups have accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, claims Israel rejects while stating it targets Hamas and works to limit civilian harm.

Israeli policy has also influenced other competitive congressional races in New York, Florida, and Colorado.

Democratic Support for Israel Continues to Erode

Tensions with Democrats grew eleven years ago when Netanyahu addressed Congress at the invitation of Republicans and criticized a nuclear deal negotiated by then-President Barack Obama.

Criticism of Israel increased after the war in Gaza began following the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, that killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and foreigners and took hundreds hostage. Gaza health officials report more than 73,000 Palestinian deaths since then.

Israel's actions in Gaza have altered Democratic politics, sparking backlash among younger voters and widening a generational split inside the party.

Campus protests in 2024 added pressure on Democrats to reconsider support for Israel, and some analysts link President Joe Biden's stance to Kamala Harris's later election loss.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called for Netanyahu's arrest over alleged war crimes.

In this primary cycle, several establishment candidates lost to progressives who question support for Israel, mainly in safely Democratic districts.

Jeremy Ben-Ami of J Street described the debate as a backlash against Netanyahu and AIPAC that has turned Israel into a divisive issue for Democrats.

AIPAC did not reply to requests for comment.

University of Maryland professor Shibley Telhami called the change a paradigm shift that now casts Israel as a villain in ways never seen before.

While some conservative voices have joined the criticism, Republicans will keep backing Israel as long as evangelical Christians and Trump remain firm, Telhami said.

Israel Reshapes Other Political Battlegrounds

The divide over Israel is reaching other congressional races.

Representative Mike Lawler, whose New York district has a large Jewish population, has used the Democratic shift to attack challenger Cait Conley in a contest for House control.

In southern Florida, Representative Jared Moskowitz, a steady supporter of Israel aid, faces a primary challenge from Oliver Larkin, who accuses Israel of genocide and seeks an immediate halt to US military aid. Polls show Moskowitz ahead by 32 points.

Longtime Representative Diana DeGette lost her Colorado Democratic primary to Melat Kiros, who wants to end wars by stopping aid to Israel, while DeGette favored only defensive weapons.

Senator Mazie Hirono said support for Israel's right to exist remains, but the current Israeli leadership faces serious questions.