The past few years have seen a dramatic shift in American attitudes about Israel-Palestine. A poll of registered U.S. voters found that half of them believe Israel committed a genocide in Gaza, and a significant proportion of American Jews are saying the same. Votes calling to condition or restrict military aid to Israel are taking place in the U.S. Congress, which was unthinkable just a few years ago. Attitudes of Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank are also shifting and show that majority support a Palestinian state that exists alongside Israel. Meanwhile, extremist Israeli ministers are moving in the opposite direction and talking about abolishing the two-state framework.
But what is not improving much is the situation on the ground for ordinary Palestinians. It’s true that Palestinians in Gaza have what is being called a cease-fire. But at least 800 Palestinians have been killed since it was enacted—two-thirds the number of Israelis killed on Oct. 7, 2023. Now, Palestinians in Gaza are mostly penned into half of the former Gaza Strip, with limited movement and ability to grow their economy. Palestinians in the West Bank face a wave of Israeli settler violence, new settlements, checkpoints, and outposts.
