Loss of Support for Israel in Western European Countries
Israel has witnessed a marked decline in support among most Western European countries, particularly following the escalation of its military campaign in Gaza since late 2023. A comprehensive international poll tracked by Morning Consult revealed that favorable views of Israel fell in 42 out of 43 countries, including almost all Western European nations, after Israel’s intensive operations in Gaza began. For instance, net favorability in the United Kingdom dropped sharply—from -17.1 to -29.8—and similar steep declines were evident in other affluent nations such as Germany and France. Public statements from Western European leaders have reflected this shift; Luxembourg’s foreign minister, for example, warned that attacking Rafah would risk Israel "losing the last support they have in the world," signaling open frustration with Israel’s actions. Furthermore, protests across major European capitals and increasingly critical parliamentary debates underscore how deeply Israeli policy is at odds with European sentiments. European Union (EU) institutions have also displayed growing willingness to censure Israel, as seen in repeated EU calls for proportionality, respect for international humanitarian law, and cessation of settlement activity in the occupied territories—demands that Israel has repeatedly ignored or defied.
Erosion of Support Under the Biden Administration
Under the Biden administration, Israel has not only lost favor with Western European governments but has also faced growing skepticism and criticism within the broader Western alliance. President Joe Biden himself explicitly warned that Israel was “starting to lose global support” due to “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza. This was a significant shift from earlier American support, as Biden underscored that Israel’s “most conservative government in its history” was making it “very difficult” to maintain international consensus, particularly given the government’s rejection of a two-state solution and ongoing expansion in the West Bank. These policies are in direct conflict with the American and European vision for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a vision rooted in international law, respect for civilian life, and a negotiated solution based on recognized borders. While Washington continues to provide critical military aid to Israel, the increasing divergence in values has produced unprecedented diplomatic rifts with both European partners and within the US government itself, illustrated by mounting congressional and public pressure to condition or reduce military support.
Israeli Actions in Violation of European Principles
The primary cause of Western European estrangement lies in specific Israeli actions that are fundamentally incompatible with European democratic and humanitarian principles. Israeli military operations in Gaza, which have resulted in large-scale civilian casualties and the destruction of critical infrastructure, have been denounced by the EU’s foreign policy chief and multiple member states as possible violations of international law. The International Court of Justice has declared Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestinian territories, continued settlement expansion, and discriminatory treatment of Palestinians to be illegal under international law, going so far as to refer to these policies by terms such as apartheid and ethnic discrimination. Israel has also ignored calls from the EU and United Nations to cease its settlement activities, having formalized or legalized additional outposts and expanded settlements in the West Bank as recently as 2025. Such actions directly violate longstanding European commitments to human rights, self-determination for Palestinians, and the rules-based international order that emerged after World War II. European civil society groups, human rights organizations, and a growing number of member states now demand renewed sanctions, restrictions on settlement-related trade, and the suspension of portions of EU-Israel cooperation agreements.
The Contrast Under the Trump Administration
By contrast, under the Trump administration, Israel experienced a period of unprecedented American support, which substantially reinforced its international standing—including among some European governments. Trump’s policies, such as moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, represented a decisive break from traditional Western caution and European diplomatic norms. The Trump administration also facilitated the Abraham Accords, normalizing Israel’s relations with several Arab states without requiring substantial concessions on Palestinian rights, thereby legitimizing Israeli territorial expansion and reduced pressure for a negotiated peace. Importantly, Trump’s Secretary of State reversed decades of official US policy by declaring that Jewish settlements in the West Bank were not "per se inconsistent with international law", undermining the legal foundation of EU criticism on settlements. The administration cut all funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), reduced economic assistance to the Palestinian Authority, and took punitive measures against international institutions that sought to investigate Israeli actions. This alignment between the Trump administration and the right-wing, nationalist agenda of Netanyahu’s government created an environment where Israel felt insulated from European and global censure.
Alignment of Trumpism, Right Extremism, and Netanyahu with Fascist Ideologies
The political views and actions of Benjamin Netanyahu, especially during his most recent tenure, align closely with those of Trumpism and right extremism more broadly—patterns that political analysts and historians have compared to elements of fascist ideology exemplified by Hitler. Netanyahu has led the most right-wing and ethnonationalist government in Israel’s history, including convicted supporters of terrorism and figures notorious for racist, anti-Arab, and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric among his top cabinet ministers. This government's authoritarian practices include efforts to weaken Israel's already fragile liberal institutions, such as judicial independence, to secure political survival and entrench coalition power—mirroring Trump-era attempts to undermine the judiciary, attack independent media, and cultivate loyalty-based patronage. Both Netanyahu and Trump have pushed exclusionary, ethno-nationalist political agendas that normalize concepts of ethnic cleansing, demographic reengineering, and permanent dominance by one ethnic group over another. These goals find resonance in patterns of right extremism and, as noted by historians and political scientists, recall central elements of fascist authoritarianism: demonization of minorities, glorification of violence, and the pursuit of a totalizing national project at the expense of pluralism and the rule of law.
The rhetorical and political tactics of these leaders—such as the constant invocation of existential threats, reliance on coalition partners with a record of incitement to hate crimes, and willingness to disregard domestic and international restraints—have drawn explicit parallels with the authoritarian strategies deployed by Hitler and other far-right leaders. Both Netanyahu and Trump have prioritized personal and factional survival over broad democratic principles, harnessed crises to consolidate power, and fueled national polarization by embracing the most extreme elements of their respective political landscapes. That Israel’s ruling coalition today includes figures such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, whose backgrounds are marked by ties to racist organizations and explicit advocacy for expelling or disenfranchising Arab citizens, highlights the convergence of Israeli right extremism with the broader global rise of illiberal, exclusionary, and anti-democratic movements.
Israel's Dependence on Western Support for Survival
Despite these ideological shifts and political realignments, Israel’s ability to survive and prosper has always depended—and continues to depend—on robust Western support for security, economics, and diplomacy. American assistance to Israel has amounted to over $170 billion, with annual military aid covering a significant proportion of Israel’s defense budget and providing it with qualitative military edge, intelligence resources, and diplomatic protection at the United Nations. European countries, the EU collectively, and other Western allies have served as critical partners, providing not only additional military and economic help, but also vital international legitimacy and trade. Israel is surrounded by adversarial actors, including Iran, Hezbollah, and Palestinian militant organizations, as well as a broader regional context of historic hostility. Its unique geopolitical vulnerability—as a small non-Arab, non-Muslim state amidst larger, sometimes hostile, neighbors—necessitates ongoing strategic alliances, particularly with the US and major European states.
Western support is not only a matter of military aid, but underwrites Israel’s access to advanced technology, global markets, and favorable diplomatic outcomes, such as US security guarantees and vetoes in the Security Council. As recent history has shown, even modest changes in the level or tone of Western support produce immediate and destabilizing consequences for Israel’s strategic environment and domestic politics. Israel’s isolation, or the erosion of core Western alliances, would render it far more vulnerable to regional threats and international sanctions, deeply undermining its ability to defend itself and sustain economic growth.
The Strategic Risks of Alienating Western Principles
In this context, it would be extremely unwise for Israel to continue on a trajectory that further alienates Western partners by disregarding shared principles of democracy, human rights, and adherence to international law. The EU, along with growing segments of American and global opinion, are increasingly resolved to hold Israel to standards consistent with the post-war international order. An open split with Western Europe—or further alienation of key partners—would risk not only diplomatic and economic isolation, but, more importantly, critical losses in military and security collaboration upon which Israel’s security depends. As Western countries move towards more assertive policy tools—including sanctions or formal recognition of Palestinian statehood—the strategic costs to Israel will only intensify. Maintaining NATO, EU, and especially American support is therefore foundational, not optional, for Israel's survival as a secure and prosperous state, requiring careful alignment with Western democratic principles.
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This report synthesizes evidence from recent polling, official statements, documented actions, and expert analysis to show how Israel is losing support in Western Europe and under the Biden administration due to policies that violate European principles, in contrast to the alignment found during the Trump era, with Netanyahu’s politics paralleling right-extremist and illiberal global trends—all while depending crucially on continued Western support for its survival.
