Most Democrats now oppose US aid to Israel and war on Iran

Israel’s genocide in Gaza and US-led war on Iran is pushing Democratic voters to increasingly oppose the sacred economic and military aid pact between Washington and Israel.

Democratic voters change tack

Results from a New York Times 2026 Siena poll shows that on the question of economic and military support to Israel:

• 68% of Democratic voters stood in opposition
• 25% of Democratic voters support the supply of aid
• 7% were ambivalent

The poll also addressed the thorny question of Democratic party support for Trump’s unilateral decision to invade Iran. Polling data suggests that:

• 93% believed it was the wrong decision
• 5% believed it was the right decision
• 2% were ambivalent

Plummeting support for Israel

Similarly, it found that:

• 47% of Democratic voters believe their party is too supportive of Israel
• 9% said Democrats are not supportive enough of Israel
• 33% believe Democrats are about right on support of Israel
• 12% were ambivalent

In terms of support for Palestinians, 60% of 2024 Democratic voters sympathised more with Palestinians, while only 16% sympathise more with Israelis. And even the US as a whole is now more sympathetic towards Palestinians (37%) than towards Israelis (35%).

A recent CNN report also highlights shifting attitudes among Democratic voters on hot-button issues. Net favourability of Israel among moderate/conservative democratic voters plummeted between 2022 and now, the outlet reported. The data suggests the favourability pendulum swung away from support for Israel in 2025.

With prominent Democratic politicians remain openly supportive of Israel, they appear out of step with voters on other issues. It’s hardly surprising that 54% of 2024 Democratic voters had felt dissatisfied with the party.

Most Democratic voters and non-voters think the US is heading “in the wrong direction”, with 90% of 2024 Democratic voters (and 75% of non-voters) agreeing that:

The economic system in this country is generally unfair to most Americans

With this in mind, it makes sense that people would want politicians to focus on domestic problems rather than fuelling conflict abroad. Accordingly, 51% of Democratic voters (and 74% of non-voters) agree that the US:

should pay less attention to problems overseas and concentrate more on problems here at home

Will the Democrats get their house in order?

Commenting on the shifting sands of public opinion, Al Jazeera points out that:

Leading up to the 2024 vote, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza was one of the most contentious and divisive issues for the Democrats and Harris.

Commenting further, the outlet added:

Some polls have suggested that the Gaza policy was one of the main reasons Harris lost the election.

A 2025 IMEU Policy Project survey showed that Gaza was a top issue for people who voted for Biden in 2020, but did not back Harris four years later.

Yet, there are zero mentions of Gaza and Israel in the 192 pages of the autopsy report.

Left-leaning Action for a Progressive Future produced an autopsy on the Democrats’ 2024 election loss which agreed on the role the Gaza genocide played. The report blamed:

• Democratic elites’ complicity and failure to take or promise meaningful action over Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
• The abandonment of working-class voters and excessive cosiness with corporate elites.
• The alienation of many young voters between the ages of 18 and 29, along with voter disenchantment in general.
• Joe Biden’s selfish decision to run again despite clearly being unable to.

If the Democratic Party is to pose a real challenge to the far-right Donald Trump regime, it needs to start listening to its voter base — urgently.

Featured image via Getty Images/the Canary