WASHINGTON D.C. — Ilan Goldenberg, senior vice president and chief policy officer of J Street, said the liberal Zionist position represents the political center held by most Americans and U.S. Jews on Israel policy. He described this stance as supporting Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state while advocating for Palestinian freedom, security, and statehood, and expressing concern over the conduct of Israel’s war in Gaza. "We want to support Israel, we want Israel to thrive as a Jewish democratic state, and we want Palestinians to have freedom and security and a state of their own. We are horrified by October 7 and the attacks by Hamas. We are not happy and horrified by the way the Israeli government has gone about things in Gaza," he said.

He said the chief catalysts for shifting American attitudes toward Israel have been strategic decisions made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He pointed to Netanyahu’s 2015 opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, which he said inserted Israel into U.S. partisan politics and fractured Democratic Party consensus. More recently, Netanyahu’s coalition with far-right figures Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir—and imagery such as Ben-Gvir posing with a noose-emblazoned cake—has further alienated American audiences, he stated.

According to Goldenberg, early U.S. and American Jewish support for Israel after the October 7 Hamas attacks was strong, including within the White House. However, he claimed Netanyahu squandered opportunities to end the war sooner, citing a potential deal that could have secured the return of hostages and reduced civilian suffering in Gaza if not for added Israeli conditions after Hamas conceded key points. He said American perceptions were shaped by the war’s duration, conduct, and globally circulated images that Israelis often do not see in the same light.

He noted that J Street, long positioned to the left of groups like AIPAC, now finds itself flanked further left by organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace, some of which advocate cutting off all U.S. aid to Israel. "J Street was the Left of the Democratic Party, but now what you see, especially in the aftermath of the war in Gaza, is we’re not really the far Left of the Democratic Party anymore," he said.

He also cited polling showing growing Democratic frustration with Israel but emphasized it does not reflect a desire to abandon the bilateral relationship. Instead, he said Jewish Democrats and the party broadly want to support Israel while retaining the ability to voice disagreements. He added that Netanyahu’s push for U.S. involvement as the conflict expanded toward Iran contributed to backlash even among Republicans, particularly from factions within Donald Trump’s base who viewed it as contradicting Trump’s pledge to avoid Middle Eastern wars.