A Hezbollah supporter in Beirut tramples on an Israeli flag. But criticism is also increasing in the West.Image: keystone
analysis
Israel has been in a state of war since the Hamas terror on October 7, 2023. This has serious consequences for the image of the Jewish state: it has never been as unpopular as it is today.
April 20, 2026, 8:09 p.mApril 20, 2026, 8:09 p.m
Israel has achieved a lot militarily. The arch-enemy Iran and its offshoots Hamas and Hezbollah are greatly weakened. The small country between the Mediterranean and Jordan has established itself as a military superpower in the Middle East. Recently, however, Israel became aware of the limits of this power and its dependence on the USA.
The two-week ceasefire with Iran agreed by US President Donald Trump caught the Israelis off guard. They had to inevitably go along with it. The massive air strikes in Lebanon on April 8th, which killed almost 200 people, seemed like a nasty reaction of frustration. But Trump also intervened in this theater of war.
Benjamin Netanyahu is reluctant to comply with the ceasefire ordered by Donald Trump.Image: keystone
The president said on Truth Social last Friday that he had BANNED further bombings against Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is was “stunned and alarmed”.When he found out about it, the news portal Axios wrote. But in this case too he had to give in and accept a ten-day ceasefire.
Israelis want to continue the war
It is clear to observers that Netanyahu and his right-wing government wanted to continue the war on both fronts. This corresponds to the will of the Israeli people. In one Poll from last week 65 percent were against the ceasefire with Iran. And 61 percent thought it should not be extended to Lebanon.
However, only 40 percent thought Israel should have continued attacks in Iran despite the US ceasefire. The Israelis are aware that there is little they can do against Washington’s will. But the survey also shows how much the Jewish state has been stuck in the logic of war since the Hamas terror on October 7, 2023.
Goodwill has evaporated
With almost 1,200 deaths, the largest mass murder of Jews since the Nazi Holocaust has traumatized the country and led to the belief that only massive military action against its deadly enemies can guarantee long-term security. The consequences for Israel’s image, however, are serious: The goodwill after October 7th has not only evaporated.
The misery of the population in Gaza has massively damaged Israel’s image.Image: keystone
The war in Gaza and the misery of the civilian population have resulted in Israel’s reputation reaching a low point, and not just on the left and right. Even in the USA, by far the most important ally, the long positive image of the Jewish state, which has to assert itself in a hostile environment, is tarnished.
More sympathy for Palestinians
This is shown by two surveys from renowned institutes. In the current edition of the Long-term study conducted by Gallup since 2001 For the first time, more Americans expressed sympathy for the Palestinians (41 percent) than for Israel (36 percent). Non-party voters are particularly responsible for the trend reversal.
The poll was released on February 27, a day before the attacks on Iran began. A survey by the Pew research institute from the end of March shows an even more desolate picture: 60 percent of those surveyed judge Israel somewhat or very negatively and only 37 percent positively. Particularly alarming: 57 percent of younger Republicans expressed their opposition.
Netanyahu’s dubious role
This is probably due not only to the increased gasoline prices, but also to reports that Donald Trump was drawn into the Iran war by Benjamin Netanyahu (the head of government comes off even worse in the survey than the state). Not only will you propagated by increasingly anti-Semitic hardliners like Tucker Carlson.
Demonstration critical of Israel on April 13th in New York. Jews also took part.Image: keystone
An investigation by the New York Times supports the assumption that Trump was influenced by Netanyahu was lured into attack by the dubious prospect of a popular uprising in Iran – despite warnings from his employees. This has consequences in the US Congress: Last week, 40 Democratic senators supported a ban on arms exports to Israel.
Democrats are distancing themselves
That’s not all: even the financing of defensive weapons, such as the Iron Dome defense system, is in the hands of the Democrats in the US Parliament no longer undisputed. Something like this “would have been considered completely crazy just four years ago,” Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida told Axios.
Left-wing Rep. Ro Khanna of California said he has never seen an issue on which public opinion has changed as quickly as the U.S. relationship with Israel. Another indication of this is the election of Israel critic Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York, where more Jews live than in any city except Tel Aviv.
Trouble with Germany too
Israel’s friends in the USA have bad prospects, and not just if a Democrat moves into the White House in 2029. “The Jewish state risks losing its greatest ally and best friend,” warned Middle East expert Daniel J. Samet from the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute.
The settler violence in the West Bank is also causing protests in Israel itself.Image: keystone
And the relationship with the other important ally is no longer untroubled. Due to its historical guilt, Germany feels a special responsibility for Israel. But as Chancellor Friedrich Merz stopped the export of weapons that could be used in the Gaza warthe indignation was manageable.
Israel is “destroying itself”
Finally, the relationships were through the death penalty only for Palestinians and Attacks by right-wing radical settlers in the West Bank charged. Merz warned Netanyahu against a de facto partial annexation and was heavily criticized in Israel. This threatens “an alienation from the strongest European ally,” said Mairav Zonszein, an Israel expert at the International Crisis Group.
These are uncomfortable prospects for Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu has recognized the danger. In an interview with the Economist, the head of government announced that US financial and military aid would currently amount to $3.8 billion per year want to reduce it “to zero” in the next ten years. He doesn’t seem to trust dependency anymore.
Israel is not only defending itself, “but also Western civilization,” emphasized Netanyahu. But the message does not reach the potential recipients. Rather, Israel is increasingly isolated. The writer Dror Mishani, who belongs to the shrunken peace camp in Israel, appeared in an interview with the “Tagesanzeiger” to a pretty grim conclusion:
“Israeli society does not deal with its traumas, it allows them to control it. Instead of guilt and remorse, she is concerned with revenge. She is obsessed with getting revenge for October 7th. But by taking revenge, she destroys herself. That’s sad and terrible.”