The Jerusalem Post reported former U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in spring 2024 that support could slip among young Republicans and young evangelical Christians.
The newspaper said Blinken recalled the conversation at the Jewish Federations of North America’s (JFNA) opening plenary in Washington on Sunday, Nov. 8. It quoted Blinken telling Netanyahu, “You’re going to be losing young Republicans, young evangelicals.”
JFNA’s program listed Blinken’s session from 4 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. ET. The group’s announcement named former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a co-speaker and ABC News journalist Juju Chang as moderator. The discussion was scheduled to address challenges facing Israel, the U.S. role in the world and implications for the Jewish community.
Pew Research Center surveyed 3,507 U.S. adults from March 23-29. Among Republican participants ages 18 to 49, 57% had an unfavorable view of Israel, compared with 50% in 2025. White evangelical Protestants showed a more positive assessment: 65% viewed Israel favorably, while 52% said they had confidence in Netanyahu’s approach to world affairs. The survey did not determine what drove the change in Republican views or establish that the Gaza war caused it.
Jewish Insider reported in March that Blinken recounted the Netanyahu exchange at a Harvard Kennedy School event on March 24, using different wording and describing the issue as generational. Harvard’s event listing identifies New York Times journalist David Sanger as his conversation partner.
The issue follows Israeli opposition figures’ criticism of Netanyahu’s effect on U.S. support for Israel, covered in an earlier EconoTimes report on bipartisan ties.
