It seems that the pro-Israel policy adopted by U.S. President Joe Biden has begun to backfire among the younger supporters of the Democratic Party, signaling potential problems for the current White House occupant ahead of the upcoming 2024 elections. Since the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza, the United States, which has always been an ally of Israel, has staunchly sided with the Israeli government. Over the past two months, Biden has resisted calls for a ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip, where large areas have been reduced to rubble, amid rising Palestinian civilian death tolls exceeding 20,000, sparking widespread anger.
A recent opinion poll showed that voters generally do not approve of Biden's handling of the escalating war in Gaza, with younger Americans being much more critical of Israel's actions and the U.S. administration's response compared to older voters in 2016. Statistics regarding the situation in the besieged territory reveal divided viewpoints among traditional Democratic voter groups. This highlights the ongoing difficulty Biden faces in maintaining the cohesion of the coalition he built in 2020, a challenge likely to persist even as positive economic indicators rise and legal troubles swirl around his expected rival, former President Donald Trump.
As for Trump, the same poll found that the Republican candidate and Biden's main rival has begun to attract support from 21% of the young voters who backed Biden in 2020, many of whom sympathize more with Palestine than with Israel. Notably, last month, the former president made strong criticisms of Israel regarding the war it is waging on Gaza, describing the situation as "horrific and terrible," and expressed solidarity with the Palestinians in the region. Trump addressed Israeli military operations in Gaza during an interview at the time, deeming them incredible and emphasizing the high number of casualties, while criticizing Israeli propaganda about the war, stating: "Israel needs to do a better job in public relations, because the other side is winning on that front."
