Support for Israel is waning, but many White Evangelical Christians remain steadfast

Code Switch

NPR

Society & Culture

4.6 • 14.9K Ratings

🗓️ 3 January 2026

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Among the American public, support for Israel has fallen among almost every demographic group. But for many White Evangelical Christians over the age of 35, support has remained steadfast. And that support continues to be a major shaper of U.S. policy in the region. So today, in our final installment of the Code Switch History Class series, we're looking into the history and theology behind how White Evangelicals became so connected to Israel, and what that connection looks like in the public square.

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0:00.0	On Planet Money, we have covered a lot of topics.
0:03.8	Like just try searching something on the internet and adding Planet Money to the end of it.
0:08.0	Tariff prices, Planet Money? That's an episode.
0:11.0	Stop Sign War, Planet Money. That too.
0:13.9	Alaska Halibut Derby, Planet Money.
0:16.4	If you can ask it, we have probably answered it.
0:19.4	Planet Money. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:25.4	What's good, y'all? You're listening to Code Switch from NPR. I'm Gene Demby.
0:30.2	And as part of the history class series we've been doing here on Code Switch, we're looking back on some of our reporting that feels particularly resonant for our current moment.
0:38.6	And so we are turning our attention back to Israel because Israel has an outsized role in American political life.
0:46.4	It's the largest recipient of American foreign aid of any country in the world.
0:51.0	But since 2023, support for Israel from the American public, it's largely dwindle.
0:56.8	Even some prominent political figures have changed their positions on Israel. Many people in the
1:01.2	United States have grown increasingly concerned about Israel's onslaught of Palestinians,
1:06.0	about the amount of resources that the U.S. is support of Israel has involved.
1:10.1	The United States needs to recognize that Israel is a strong country.
1:15.6	They are nuclear armed and they are capable of defeating their own enemies.
1:19.6	Of course, I condemn Hamas. Of course, I have called October 7th what it was, which is a horrific war crime.
1:24.6	And of course, my belief in a universality in international law
1:28.5	is also the same set of beliefs that have led me to describe
1:31.5	what's happening in Gaza as a genocide.
1:33.0	The Prime Minister of Israel goes on television
	...

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