There’s an alarming real shift happening in how younger Americans view Israel, terrorism and the Jewish people. Recent polling shows attitudes that would have been unthinkable twenty years ago. Among adults under 30, only 14 percent say their sympathies lie mostly with Israel, while 33 percent side with the Palestinians. Another survey shows 38 percent of young adults believe the terrorist group Hamas has “valid reasons” for fighting vs 34% for Israel. Compare that to adults 65 and older, where roughly 78 percent say Israel’s reasons are valid and only 17 percent say the same for Hamas. These aren’t small differences. They show a widening gap in moral judgment that’s forming along generational lines.
Political identity deepens the divide. Gallup reports that only 21 percent of Democrats sympathize primarily with Israel, while 59 percent side with the Palestinians. Among Republicans, 75 percent support Israel and only 10 percent support the Palestinians. Independents land closer to the national average: 46 percent for Israel, 33 percent for Palestinians. Add in the knowledge gaps—63 percent of Millennials and Gen Z don’t know six million Jews died in the Holocaust, and nearly half can’t name a single concentration camp—and you get a generation reacting to conflict without historical grounding. When political messaging replaces history, and emotion outpaces truth, it becomes easier for dangerous ideas to slip into the mainstream unnoticed.
Voices rising online are not helping. Podcasts and influencers with massive Gen Z reach have leaned into conspiratorial rhetoric about Israel and Jewish people. Candace Owens has made statements that watchdog groups classify as antisemitic. Tucker Carlson frequently pushes narratives that place suspicion or blame on Jews and Israel without saying it outright. Nick Fuentes drops the codes entirely, embracing open antisemitism, white nationalism and pro-authoritarian tropes. All three draw large, young audiences who mistake their confidence for clarity. In a culture driven by algorithms and outrage, repetition becomes persuasion, and persuasion—when left unchecked—becomes belief. That’s how fringe ideas gain power. Not through reasoned debate, but through constant exposure wrapped in “truth-telling” bravado.
This trend won’t correct itself. Antisemitism, once normalized, grows quickly and spreads across movements, not just political parties. A nation that excuses terrorism today becomes a nation confused about evil tomorrow. The remedy isn’t complicated, but it requires courage. We need to anchor young people in truth, teach history without apology and remind them that moral clarity isn’t extremism. It’s responsibility. Scripture draws a direct line on this issue. In Genesis 12:3, the Lord says, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.” That’s a warning wrapped in a promise. If a generation drifts toward hostility against Israel and the Jewish people, then leaders, parents and pastors must step in and steady the ground beneath them.
Sources
Pew Research Center
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/02/younger-americans-stand-out-in-their-views-of-the-israel-hamas-war/
https://www.pewresearch.org/2024/03/21/views-of-the-israel-hamas-war/
Gallup
https://news.gallup.com/poll/657404/less-half-sympathetic-toward-israelis.aspx
Claims Conference
https://www.claimscon.org/millennial-study/
TIME / ADL
https://time.com/6958957/growing-antisemitism-young-americans/
