Global Jewish life profoundly reshaped by impact of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, INSS report shows

A new report published by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) on October 10 contends that the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has evolved past a localized Middle Eastern affair to profoundly reshape everyday Jewish life across diaspora communities.

The report, titled “No Longer on the Sidelines: How the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Impacts Diaspora Jews,” was authored by INSS senior researchers Theodore Sasson, a professor at Middlebury College, and Avishay Ben Sasson-Gordis, head of the US-Israel field.

Drawing on six months of discussions between an INSS Joint Working Group and leaders of major Jewish organizations across the US, Canada, France, the UK, and South America, the authors note that local fallout from Israel’s conflict choices makes global Jewry genuine stakeholders in Israeli policy. They have identified four major impacts: normalizing hostility, dividing communities, diminishing political influence, and fueling antisemitism.

The authors explain that hostility toward Israel has normalized across Western societies due to interpretations of the IDF’s conduct in Gaza and the West Bank.

The report highlights that a March 2026 Pew poll showed 60% of Americans view Israel unfavorably, up from 53% in 2025 and 42% in 2022, with 75% of young adults (18-29) holding negative views. Israel’s US standing now mirrors hostile nations like Iran, China, and Russia rather than allies like the UK and Germany.

Beyond polls, Israel has entered domestic politics via midterm primaries, where left-wing candidates challenge arms sales and AIPAC funding. In Europe, pariah designations have advanced further. UK participants noted that “Israel is South Africa” across cultural institutions, while French participants warned that anti-Zionism risks becoming a cultural norm.

Consequently, Jewish institutions – such as synagogues hosting aliyah sessions, camps hiring IDF veterans, Hillel groups, and BDS-targeted businesses – face intense protests, turning ordinary Jewish life into counter-cultural activity.

The authors examine how the decline in support for the two-state solution in Israel has fractured diaspora communities internally.

For decades, the two-state paradigm allowed diaspora supporters to reconcile backing Israel with democratic values by viewing the “occupation” as temporary. The abandonment of this horizon leaves defenders unequipped to counter outside critics, compounding feelings of alienation.

This alienation, particularly among young adults, intensified alongside relentless media imagery of civilian death and suffering in Gaza and the West Bank, coupled with widespread narratives accusing Israel of intentionally inflicting harm. As one working group participant warned, communities under-informed about Palestinian terror threats and saturated with reports of Israeli transgressions are becoming dangerously alienated from the moral case for Israel.

Public opinion data underscore this trend: a June 2026 AP-NORC survey reported that 24% of American Jews feel “not at all” emotionally attached to Israel, a steady rise from 20% in 2025, 14% in 2020, and 12% in 2013, with 39% of young adults aged 18 to 29 reporting no attachment. The authors’ secondary analysis of the data indicates that low emotional attachment is closely associated with secularism, skepticism regarding the justification of military actions in Gaza, and beliefs that Israel committed genocide.

While Jewish organizations continue advocating for Israel, growing dissent has fractured communities, particularly in liberal regions like US blue states and coastal metros, straining central bodies and reducing their capacity to represent the community as a whole.

As the pro-Israel lobby fragments into competing right-wing, centrist, and liberal camps, and some individual synagogues divide, the rise of newly launched non-Zionist and anti-Zionist groups has caused further division and altered the public image of organized Jewish life.

The authors analyze the erosion of diaspora political influence. The absence of a viable political horizon for resolving the conflict, coupled with controversial rhetoric and policies from Israeli figures, has made pro-Israel advocacy exceedingly difficult, forcing diaspora defenders to navigate accusations that supporting Israel contradicts core democratic values.

This weakened leverage is evident internationally. In the US, anti-Israel candidates have won primary races despite heavy AIPAC spending. In Canada, the government has advanced arms embargoes and recognized Palestinian statehood while dismissing communal leaders. In the UK, authorities have pushed forward with West Bank settlement product bans over community objections.

The authors emphasize that this diminished political capacity not only harms Israel’s national security; it also inflicts a heavy toll on diaspora communities themselves. Having invested massive resources into building robust political lobbies, global Jewry now faces an erosion of its broader political power, undermining its ability to advocate effectively for its own local community interests and needs.

The report details how the war’s management and rhetoric from senior Israeli officials have provided fuel for antisemitism and heightened anxiety, with a late 2026 Mellman Group survey showing 56% of American Jewish voters deeply concerned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions have worsened antisemitism.

This perception is matched by data; AJC polling shows 93% viewing antisemitism as serious, and ADL audits document steep surges in Israel-related incidents across the US. Left-and-right political polarization has left many American Jews experiencing political homelessness, while skyrocketing security costs force communal organizations to divert critical funds away from Jewish life.

In Canada and the UK, physical violence, including arson, stabbings, and a 2026 Yom Kippur synagogue shooting in Ontario, has accelerated, with protests targeting Jewish neighborhoods and leading some Canadian Jews to consider an “exit strategy.” Meanwhile, in parts of Europe, mounting threats have driven an ongoing process of “marranization,” where Jews feel compelled to conceal their identities to stay safe.

In their analysis, the authors address a core grievance voiced by diaspora leaders: while avoiding harm to Israel has historically been paramount, the Israeli government appears largely unconcerned with how its conflict choices impact diaspora well-being, often undermining international law through damaging ministerial rhetoric, restrictive aid policies, or unchecked settler violence.

The report stresses that the deepest long-term risk stems from the political deadlock over a permanent one-state reality without democratic rights for millions of Palestinians, which alienates Western allies and exhausts community advocacy.

Although domestic Israeli politics and public hardening post-October 7 have sidelined peace frameworks, post-election leadership must weigh broader national security needs, including democratic preservation and global Jewish ties.

While diaspora leaders have traditionally avoided criticizing Israeli policy due to a perceived lack of “skin in the game,” that premise is shattered. And yet, public critique remains intensely sensitive due to fears of aiding adversaries and internal communal divides. Ultimately, the compounding toll of these interlocking dynamics makes the diaspora’s stake in Israel’s strategic decisions undeniable, while hurting Israel’s own soft power and international standing.

The report concludes with a series of concrete recommendations for Israeli policymakers to mitigate the conflict’s local fallout and help restore global advocacy capacity.

The authors urge Israeli leadership to ensure cabinet ministers avoid rhetoric that inflames human rights allegations and to publicly disavow any such statements when made. Furthermore, authorities must crack down on West Bank extremist violence and hold perpetrators accountable.

Politically, Israel must maintain a diplomatic horizon to prevent a slide into a non-democratic single-state reality while proactively communicating its commitment to a viable resolution.

The report also calls for institutional reforms. Israel must establish sustained dialogues with diaspora organizations, build collaborative strategies to improve international standing, and formally integrate systematic reviews within cabinet ministries to evaluate how domestic policy choices impact world Jewry.

The authors noted that the report’s conclusions and recommendations belong solely to the researchers and do not necessarily represent the views of every participating organization.