Pressure mounts on US politicians as Democratic Party voter base pushes to end aid to Israel

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ latest resolutions to block certain arms sales to Israel received more support in the US Senate than ever before. Sanders’ resolutions would have blocked the sale of around 5,000 bombs to Israel, along with tens of thousands of assault rifles. Although the resolutions did not pass on Wednesday, July 30, most Senate Democrats voted in support. 27 Senate Democrats supported the measure blocking the transfer of assault rifles to Israel, while 24 Senate Democrats supported the resolution against bomb shipments. 

This is up from the 15 Senate Democrats that supported similar resolutions from Sanders in April. These resolutions would have blocked USD 8.8 million in arms sales to Israel.

Activists arrested protesting Gillibrand and Schumer

Among the Democrats opposing Sander’s bill were New York’s Democratic senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. In response, Pro-Palestine activists in New York City launched a series of actions to protest their continued support of Israel.

On Sunday, August 3, dozens of activists, including New York State Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes, were arrested while blocking the street in front of Grand Army Plaza, near Chuck Schumer’s residence. Protesters blocked traffic while holding banners that read “Schumer is starving Gaza” and “Families stand with Gaza”.

On Friday, August 1, 150 demonstrators staged a sit-in protest inside the Manhattan offices of Schumer and Gillibrand. At the demonstration, led by Jewish Voice for Peace, protesters laid out banners onto the floor reading “Jews to Schumer: Stop starving Gaza” and “Jews to Gillibrand: Stop starving Gaza”. Other banners held by the protesters read “stop arming Israel” and “Jews for Palestinian freedom”. Dozens of protesters were arrested, including local Democratic Party politicians such as New York State Assembly Member Claire Valdez and City Council member Tiffany Cabán.

HAPPENING NOW: Over 150 Jews and people of conscience are staging a sit-in at the offices of Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand in New York City to demand that the U.S. stop starving Gaza immediately. pic.twitter.com/Le0DnN0cFB

— Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive) August 1, 2025

Israel losing its bastion of support

As some Democrats choose to continue supporting Israel, polls indicate that the base of Democratic Party voters has shifted increasingly in favor of Palestine. A Gallup poll conducted in July revealed that only 32% of those polled approved of Israel’s “military action taken in Gaza,” 10 points lower than polling results from last September. In a June 2025 Quinnipiac poll, 60% of Democratic voters said they sympathize more with Palestinians, while only 12% sympathized more with Israel.

The victory of socialist New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic mayoral primary also revealed how Democratic voters are shifting. 62% of Mamdani’s voters said “his support for Palestinian rights” was a factor in their votes. Of voters who did not vote in the previous mayoral primary in 2021, 83% said Mamdani’s support for Palestine was a factor. 

The push by the Democratic voter base for an arms embargo could increasingly unravel Democratic Party consensus on Israel, according to pro-Palestine organizer and Education Director of the People’s Forum Layan Fuleihan. “Israel cannot exist without foreign support. And it’s losing that international support,” according to Fuleihan, pointing to France’s recent recognition of a Palestinian state. The United States political establishment is increasingly wary of being similarly isolated on the world stage, says Fuleihan. 

With only 0.01% of the world’s population, Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign aid. “People are coming out to say something, including 27 Democratic senators who supported Sanders’ resolutions.”

​​”Obviously these resolutions do not have an immediate impact, but they show that the long term arc of Israel’s viability is cracking,” Fuleihan said.