Can AIPAC and J Street coexist? The shrinking middle ground in US-Israel support - opinion

The space between major U.S. pro-Israel advocacy groups AIPAC and J Street is becoming increasingly perilous, reflecting a significant shift in American support for Israel, according to Yisrael Klitsner.

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I wanted to test whether civil discourse and reaching across the aisle still mattered. I hoped to show what I already believed: despite sharp differences, they shared substantial common ground.

Klitsner notes a growing concern among Israeli and American Jews that support for Israel in the United States is not merely waning but undergoing a historic realignment. This shift is evidenced by recent Senate votes to block arms sales to Israel, Pew findings indicating increasingly negative views of Israel's government, and Gallup data showing plummeting favorable views of Israel and rising sympathy for Palestinians, especially among young Americans. The traditional bipartisan cushion around Israel is thinning.

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That experience matters because a nervous refrain has been growing louder among Israeli and American Jews: support for Israel in the United States is not merely ebbing; it is undergoing a historic realignment, and no one should assume it will reverse on its own.

This realignment is altering the definition of being "pro-Israel" in America and making it harder to occupy the middle ground historically represented by AIPAC and J Street. For decades, these organizations embodied two instincts often held together by American Jews: a deep commitment to Israel's security and the belief that Israel's long-term security depends on democracy, diplomacy, and a credible political horizon for Palestinians. For many, this was not a contradiction but the essence of responsible Zionism.

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The evidence is no longer anecdotal. Recent Senate votes seeking to block specific arms sales to Israel, Pew findings showing increasingly negative views of Israel’s government, and Gallup data showing Americans’ plummeting favorable views of Israel and rising sympathy for Palestinians, especially among young Americans, all point to a tectonic shift. The old bipartisan cushion around Israel is thinning.

The author explains that while this middle ground still exists intellectually, it is becoming politically challenging to maintain. American public sentiment has shifted, and political organizations respond to incentives. As a large and growing share of the electorate distrusts Israel's conduct, lawmakers and advocacy groups sharpen their messages. Donors signal their positions through contributions, activists demand clarity, and politicians perceive mixed positions as evasive. This environment causes institutional brands to harden, with AIPAC emphasizing security and J Street focusing on accountability, leaving less room for nuanced positions.

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The shift is changing what it means to be pro-Israel in America. It is also making it far harder to inhabit the space between the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and J Street.