Two separate votes today, at Washington and New York, reiterate a simple fact that at times gets lost in the political noise: Americans, by and large, are pro-Israel. Six Senators failed in an attempt to deny arms to an ally as it combats an Iranian-orchestrated war on seven fronts. At the United Nations, meanwhile, America vetoed a proposed resolution that would have demanded an Israeli loss in its war against a Gaza-based genocidal terror group.

At the Senate yesterday, anti-Israel protesters were arrested after storming the rotunda. Their goal: generating newspaper headlines and social media memes. These rituals, also prevalent at American and European cities, are designed to show that “the world” stands in solidarity with those who wish Israel harm. If so, why then do most Americans decline the offer to throw the Jewish state to the mercies of the UN or of the anti-Israel members of Congress?

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez thinks she has the answer. “If people want to talk about members of Congress being overly influenced by a special interest group pushing a wildly unpopular agenda that pushes voters away from Democrats then they should be discussing AIPAC,” she writes on X. Yet, the pro-Israel group’s cause may not be all that unpopular. Some 79 percent of Americans back Israel over Hamas, per a recent Harvard/Harris poll. 

Which could explain why the Squadfather, Senator Sanders, used non-American data to support his failed proposal to end “offensive” arms deliveries to Israel. It is illegal for America to “provide weaponry to countries that violate internationally recognized human rights or block U.S. humanitarian aid, according to the UN,” he says, and “much of the international community” claims that Israel is violating international law.  

Mr. Sanders is right about that “international community.” At the UN Security Council, 14 members supported a demand for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent” cease-fire in Gaza. America alone vetoed the resolution. In a forceful speech, our deputy ambassador, Robert Wood, explained that the measure failed to directly link war-ending to the release of 101 hostages, including seven Americans.

“Hamas has rejected deal after deal after deal, and yet, some members of this council, in their public statements, ignore the callous intransigence of Hamas, and indeed refuse to condemn Hamas, which, I’ll note, this resolution failed to do again,” Mr. Wood said. Before leaving office, President Biden may wish for  retribution against Prime Minister Netanyahu. Yet, he recognizes that siding with the UN on Israel is a political loser. 

As Representative Dean Phillips observes in answering AOC’s X posting, the “anti-pragmatic and anti-semitic interests” are the ones pushing a “wildly unpopular agenda” that “pushes voters away” from Democrats. Now, as a new administration sweeps in, it is worth remembering that more is at stake than a popularity contest. Taking our political fringe too seriously could cost Israeli and American lives, and significantly harm America’s Mideast interests.