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US Ambassador to Israel Warns American Support for Jewish State at Risk in Coming Years
Former US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be the next US ambassador to Israel on Capitol Hill, Washington, US, Oct. 18, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis
Continued bipartisan support in the US for Israel could be at risk in the coming years, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew warned this week.
While giving a speech at Reichman University in Israel, Lew said that fringe elements of both the Democratic and Republican parties could corrode American support for the Jewish state.
“There are risks — in both the right and the left — of erosion on the margins that only makes it more important for there to be bipartisan support,” Lew said at Reichman University on Tuesday.
Polling indicates Americans on the far left and far right are generally much more critical of the Jewish state, as are younger voters, than their older counterparts, mirroring trends seen in Europe.
“The question is, when you have generational change, will that be true 10 years, 20 years, 30 years from now,” Lew stated.
In an era of intensifying polarization, maintaining bipartisan support for any individual issue is difficult, Lew claimed. The ambassador urged leaders in the United States not to allow Israel to become a divisive and heavily-partisan issue.
“In the context of an America which is increasingly polarized, it’s harder to have bipartisan support,” Lew said. “It’s critical that [Israel] not become a partisan issue in the United States.”
The ambassador argued that Israel can maintain its support by winning over moderates from both sides of the political aisle. Though the more extreme members of the Democratic and Republican parties might be susceptible to anti-Zionism, centrist lawmakers are more likely to see the value in standing alongside an American ally with shared values, Lew stated.
“You don’t need either party to be 100 percent if you’ve got most of both. And that’s where the support for Israel is. It’s probably still close to 70 percent,” Lew said.
Lew urged Israeli leaders to minimize conflict with American lawmakers by understanding both parties share similar interests.
“My view is you try to keep the daylight to a minimum, not look for things that exaggerate how much space there is,” Lew said.
Lew warned that support for the Jewish state is especially eroding among young liberals. He argued that Israel has more “work to do” in bolstering support among future generations of Americans on both sides of the political spectrum.
He also lamented that the “enemies of Israel” are successfully demonizing the Jewish state to young Americans.
“The images in America are brutal. There are enemies of Israel that are actively telling the story in a very negative way,” Lew said.
American intelligence agencies revealed this week that Iran has encouraged and funded high-pressure disinformation campaigns among US citizens to tarnish Israel’s reputation.
In his remarks, the ambassador batted down allegations that Israel has not taken steps to alleviate a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, pointing out that the Jewish state has delivered much-needed aid into the war-torn enclave.
“We work day and night to make sure things like humanitarian assistance are provided. And Israel needs to tell the story that it is making sure that people are getting what they need for there not to be a famine,” Lew added.
Polls have surfaced in recent months suggesting that support for Israel may deteriorate with future generations of Americans. A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that 47 percent of Democrats between the ages of 18-29 sympathize more with Palestinians than Israelis. Only 7 percent of Democrats within the same age group said they sympathized with Israelis more than Palestinians. Among Republicans aged 18-29, 28 percent said they sympathized more with Israelis than Palestinians, and 12 percent reported having more sympathy for the Palestinians.
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Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy
Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
i24 News – Lebanon’s daunting social, economic and political issues would not get resolved unless the state persists in the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy behind so much of the unrest and destruction, special US envoy Tom Barrack told The National.
“You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical Arabic name for the region sometimes known as “larger Syria.”
The official stressed the need to follow through on promises to disarm the Iranian proxy, which suffered severe blows from Israel in the past year, including the elimination of its entire leadership, and is considered a weakened though still dangerous jihadist outfit.
“There are issues that we have to arm wrestle with each other over to come to a final conclusion. Remember, we have an agreement, it was a great agreement. The problem is, nobody followed it,” he told The National.
Barrack spoke on the heels of a trip to Beirut, where he proposed a diplomatic plan for the region involving the full disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese state.
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Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Scherbak/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian leadership that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, the Axios website reported on Saturday. The Russian strongman also relayed the message to his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, the report said.
Iranian news agency Tasnim issued a denial, citing an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.
Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Any negotiated solution must respect Iran’s right to enrichment. No agreement without recognizing our right to enrichment. If negotiations occur, the only topic will be the nuclear program. No other issues, especially defense or military matters, will be on the agenda.”
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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is attending at least one meeting with Israeli officials in Azerbaijan today, despite sources in Damascus claiming he wasn’t attending, a Syrian source close to President Al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS.
The Syrian source stated that this is a series of two or three meetings between the sides, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also in attendance, along with Ahmed Al-Dalati, the Syrian government’s liaison for security meetings with Israel.
The high-level Israeli delegation includes a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as security and military figures.
The purpose of the meetings is to discuss further details of the security agreement to be signed between Israel and Syria, the Iranian threat in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, the weapons of Palestinian militias, the Palestinians camps in Lebanon, and the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza in the region.
The possibility of opening an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without diplomatic status, might also be discussed.
The source stated that the decision to hold the meetings in Azerbaijan, made by Israel and the US, is intended to send a message to Iran.
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