ABSTRACT
The conflict transitioned from one that focuses on a multinational conflict between Arab nation states and Israel—two of which established diplomatic ties with Israel—to one that focuses on Israel’s relationship with a stateless nation, the Palestinians. Americans are unique in how much they support Israel compared to the support for Israel find in other nations. Moreover, the affinity of Americans toward Israel is second only to the affinity they have for some of America’s closest allies. Americans sympathize more with Israel than with Israel’s rivals—Arab nations or the Palestinians—and they attribute blame for the conflict to Israel’s rivals and want their government to side with Israel. American Jews and evangelical Christians are overwhelmingly supportive of Israel. The latter are especially important for aggregate changes because they represent a sizeable portion of the population, their support for Israel has steadily increased and they have strongly aligned with the Republican party in recent decades.
