85% percent of Democrats back blocking Israel arms,
underscoring party’s surrender to fringe
In a stunning betrayal of a key U.S. ally, 40 Senate Democrats—nearly the entire caucus—voted last week to block critical military arms sales to Israel. The resolutions, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, targeted $295 million in military bulldozers and $152 million in 1,000-pound bombs essential for the Israel Defense Forces’ self-defense operations. Though the measures were defeated 40-59 and 36-63 respectively, with every Republican and just seven Democrats standing firm in support of the sales, the vote laid bare a chilling reality: the Democratic Party hijacking by its most extreme anti-Israel voices is nearly complete.
To be clear, these were sales of equipment, not foreign aid. This wasn’t charity; it was a straightforward arms sale to a nation fighting existential threats. Yet 85 percent of Senate Democrats effectively said no more weapons for Israel amid its conflict with Iran and ongoing security challenges. Bill Maher, who is a lifelong Democrat, captured the moment perfectly on his show last week, clashing with former Biden national security advisor Jake Sullivan. “Israel has seven Democratic allies left in the Senate,” Maher declared, noting the seven holdouts. Sullivan defended the 40, calling their vote “the right thing” against U.S. entanglement in what he deemed a “misbegotten” war. Any future Democrat administration will likely have someone akin to Sullivan as part of the cabinet.
This vote is no isolated incident. It fits a clear, accelerating pattern of Democratic erosion on Israel. Previous Sanders-led efforts saw far smaller support for blocks: just 19 Democrats in November 2024, rising to 27 on small arms and 24 on bombs by July 2025. The fringe is gaining ground, and fast.
Nor is this a surprise to anyone paying attention. Back in 2019, when Sen. Marco Rubio introduced the Combating BDS Act as part of broader Middle East legislation, 27 Senate Democrats voted against it. Many of those Senate Democrats became presidential candidates later that year. Even then, a significant chunk of the party showed willingness to tolerate—or even enable—efforts to economically isolate and delegitimize the Jewish state. BDS, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, has long been a rallying cry for the hard left, rooted in rejection of Israel’s right to exist. That nearly a third of Senate Democrats sided with it nearly a decade ago foreshadowed today’s collapse.
The data confirms what the votes reveal. A Pew Research Center poll released in April 2026 shows unfavorable views of Israel among Americans climbing to 60 percent—up 7 points from 2025 and nearly 20 points since 2022. Very unfavorable opinions nearly tripled from 10 percent in 2022 to 28 percent now. Among Democrats, the numbers are catastrophic: 80 percent unfavorable, up from 69 percent last year and 53 percent in 2022. Confidence in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cratered to just 27 percent overall, with Democrats at 76 percent expressing little or no confidence. The trend is starkest among young people, where majorities in both parties—but especially Democrats under 50—harbor deeply negative views.
The Democratic Party didn’t stumble into this position. It embraced it. What was once fringe—campus radicals chanting “from the river to the sea,” Squad members like Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar openly flirting with antisemitic tropes, and progressive activists demanding boycotts—has been mainstreamed. Bernie Sanders, the architect of these resolutions, now sets the tone. The party platform, activist base, and primary electorate reward hostility to Israel. Young voters, radicalized on TikTok and college quads, demand it. And Democratic leaders, terrified of losing their left flank, cave. Jake Sullivan’s defense of the 40 senators wasn’t an outlier; it was party orthodoxy.
Contrast this with the Republican Party, which actively rejects its own fringe voices rather than elevating them. While Democrats import radicalism into the mainstream, Republicans purge it. President Donald Trump’s recent Truth Social posts offer a textbook example. In sharp, unsparing language, Trump slammed Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Candace Owens—once MAGA-adjacent figures who have veered into isolationism and criticism of strong U.S.-Israel policy amid the Iran conflict. Trump called them “low IQ,” “stupid,” “nut jobs,” and “troublemakers” who lack what it takes and crave cheap publicity. He mocked their opposition to decisive action against Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, and their apparent comfort with the idea of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.
At the same moment, Trump praised Israel unequivocally. In a Truth Social post amid the Iran tensions and related ceasefires, he declared: “Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America. They are Courageous, Bold, Loyal, and Smart and, unlike others that have shown their true colors in a moment of conflict and stress, Israel fights hard, and knows how to WIN!” No equivocation. No hedging. Pure recognition of a true partner that stands shoulder-to-shoulder against shared enemies.
This is the fundamental difference. Democrats reward and normalize their radicals. Republicans expose and expel them. The left’s fringe hates Israel because it fits their worldview: America as oppressor, Israel as colonial outpost, Palestinians as perpetual victims. Republicans see reality—Israel as a democratic bulwark against jihadist terror, an innovation powerhouse, and a frontline ally in the fight against Iran. When isolationist or antisemitic voices creep into conservative circles, Trump and the GOP bench them. When anti-Israel radicals dominate Democratic primaries and newsrooms, the party apologizes and amplifies.
This vote, the Pew data, and the historical pattern aren’t anomalies—they are symptoms of a party captured by hatred of the Jewish state and contempt for American strength. Democrats have mainstreamed what was once unthinkable. Republicans have rejected what should remain unthinkable.
Americans must act. Do not allow Democrats to hold any office anywhere—as long as they continue to cave to their most fringe, anti-Israel ideology. Vote them out at every level: Senate, House, governorships, state legislatures, school boards. Demand candidates who reject this radical capture unequivocally. Support only those who stand unequivocally with Israel as Trump does—with clarity, strength, and zero tolerance for the fringe. The security of our ally and the credibility of our foreign policy hang in the balance. The time for half-measures is over. The Democratic Party has chosen its side. It’s time for the rest of us to choose ours.
Moshe Hill is a political analyst and columnist. His work can be found at www.aHillwithaView.com and on X at @HillWithView.
