Support for Israel among Democratic voters has fallen to its lowest level in years, according to a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, underscoring a dramatic realignment within the Democratic Party as the aftermath of the war in Gaza continues to reshape US politics.

The survey found that a majority of Democrats now sympathize more with the Palestinians than with Israelis, while Republicans remain overwhelmingly supportive of Israel — one of the widest partisan divides over the US-Israel relationship in decades.

According to the poll, 56 percent of Democrats say they sympathize more with the Palestinian people, while just 14 percent say they sympathize more with Israelis. Among Republicans, by contrast, 71 percent say they are more sympathetic to Israel, compared with just 7 percent who identify more closely with the Palestinians.

The findings come nearly three years after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and roughly 250 others taken hostage. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the attack, saying its objective was to dismantle Hamas, free the hostages, and prevent another massacre.

The poll suggests Democratic voters have grown increasingly critical of Israel’s conduct during the war. Fifty-eight percent of Democrats now believe the United States is too supportive of Israel, up from 45 percent in an AP-NORC survey conducted in early 2024, while 53 percent say Washington is not supportive enough of the Palestinians — a continued shift away from the bipartisan consensus that defined US support for Israel for decades.

Republicans have remained broadly aligned with Israel, although the survey found signs of generational change: roughly one in five Republicans under age 45 said they believe Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, and support for Israel among younger Republicans lags well behind that of older members of the party.

The genocide question illustrates how deeply contested the war remains among Americans. Overall, about one-third of US adults said they believe Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinians — roughly half of Democrats and about one in five Republicans — while nearly half of Americans said they did not know enough about the conflict to reach a conclusion.

Jewish Americans were significantly less likely than Democrats overall to hold that view: 30 percent said they believe Israel has committed genocide, while 49 percent disagreed and the remainder were uncertain.

Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of genocide as false and politically motivated. Israeli officials argue that the military is engaged in a war of self-defense against Hamas — which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and several other governments — and accuse the group of embedding fighters and military infrastructure within civilian areas, including schools and hospitals. They also note that Israel alerts civilians before strikes, opens evacuation corridors, and designates safe zones, arguing such measures are incompatible with genocidal intent.

Among political figures, the poll found Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) maintains significant popularity among Jewish Americans, with 41 percent approving compared to 21 percent disapproving. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), one of the most high-profile critics of Israel, drew 44 percent approval among Jewish Americans against 39 percent disapproval, while a 59 percent majority of Jewish voters disapproved of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with 32 percent approving.

Despite the sharp divisions, the conflict remains a secondary issue for most Americans: economic concerns, including inflation and the cost of living, continue to rank well above Israel and Gaza among voters’ priorities heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

Still, for Israel’s supporters, the numbers are likely to bolster concerns that backing for the Jewish state is becoming increasingly concentrated within the Republican Party — and eroding among that party’s own younger voters — raising questions about the future of one of America’s closest strategic alliances.