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I have heard on the news many times that Republicans are promoting themselves as pro-Israel, while painting Democrats as weak on Israel.

I wonder, why Republicans, who generally lack Jewish support, have more supporting statements for Israel in Congress.

Here is an example: Andrew Yang shows support for Israel, and received support from Republicans on that position. There are many cases like this. I understand that this is bipartisan. I have noticed that Democrats are more likely to talk about Israel from a humanitarian standpoint.

The article I linked shows multiple Republican elected officials applauding Yang's stance on this issue. It also explains that people primarily on the left have oppposed this stance.

Note: I understand this is a controversial question. I do not want opinion based answers, PLEASE.

Number File
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2 Answers2

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Because it is a very important issue to one of their key voting blocs.

As I explain in this answer, white evangelical voters voted overwhelmingly for Trump both in 2020 and 2016 (somewhere around 81% voting for Trump for both elections)

As explained here, evangelicals link the existence and their support of Israel with their theological religious beliefs. They see the creation and continued existence of Israel as proof of and demanded by their religious beliefs: enter image description here

enter image description here

this graph also shows that most evangelicals identify as conservative:

enter image description here

magnus.orion
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    I like this answer, though it does not touch upon foreign policy, which is important. I would add that Evangelicals, as a group, believe that the presence of a Jewish state in Palestine is a pre-requisite for the Rapture, the second coming of Jesus. At which time any Jews who do not convert will be cast into hell. So, not as benign as often presented. – JohnHunt May 16 '21 at 18:08
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    @JohnHunt, it's news to me that Evangelicals, either as a group or in significant numbers, believe a Jewish state in Palestine to be a prerequisite for anything. But this is a very diverse group, so no doubt there are some who do. – John Bollinger May 16 '21 at 18:38
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    @JohnBollinger that's what "Israel is important for fulfilling biblical prophecy" in the poll included in the answer refers to – llama May 16 '21 at 18:44
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    I think the precise theological details are beyond the scope of this site, maybe Christianity stack exchange might elaborate. Suffice to say that when surveyed, evangelicals express that they care strongly about the issue and link it to their beliefs about the bible. – magnus.orion May 16 '21 at 18:44
  • @llama, one can look at the historical re-establishment of the geopolitical state of Israel and decide that it seems to line up with one's eschatology in one way or another. That's how I interpret the poll. That doesn't speak to a unity of belief on exactly how it's aligned or on how events may be expected to proceed from there. In particular, it does not speak to the significance of the continued presence of a state of Israel in Palestine. – John Bollinger May 16 '21 at 19:00
  • @JohnBollinger might be news to you, but it's not to anyone who really believes deeply in the Bible. The Late Great Planet Earth touches specifically on that and so does wikipedia. Basically, the second coming happens once Israel gets attacked, in Israel. That's pretty specific, by the standards of folk who believe in a 6000 yr old Earth. – Italian Philosophers 4 Monica May 17 '21 at 19:06
  • Magnus.orion, Well put. – JohnHunt May 18 '21 at 00:01
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Some confusion may come from the distinction between where American-Jewish vs Israeli positions in US politics may be.

The question, as currently written is about support for Israel, and appears to pivot on the premise that "Republicans, who generally lack Jewish support...".

Without getting into whether or not this is true nationally, I would point out that Republicans in both the executive branch and Congress, have found abundant common ground with Israel on foreign policy. The most recent prominent example being shared views on opposition to JCPOA (a signature policy of the Obama admin, scuttled by the Trump admin) and more generally, prioritization of containing Iran's rise as a regional power - in line with neoconservative thinking exemplified by officials such as Bolton or Pompeo, but going back into past decades also.

Pete W
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    This just begs the question of why the US has chosen to align with a Jewish state rather than the far more numerous Muslim states in the region (and indeed, we do have plenty of Muslim allies there). Our antagonistic relationship to Iran is a direct consequence of American actions, and not any pre-existing animosity per se. Only the religious aspect can fully explain the American relationship with Israel vs. Islamic nations. – Lawnmower Man May 16 '21 at 19:40
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    @Lawnmower Man, I very much doubt that any of the power players care much about religion one way or the other, other than it being a powerful way to motivate the masses. There is plenty of historical background from the cold war, and the US positioning in geopolitics, Arab and Persian secular nationalist movements vs political Islam in the late 20th century (and successors like Arab spring - see recent Egypt for a vivid example), post-colonial relations, and not least of all, oil industry financial interests. However, I'm not prepared to take the discussion that deep, got enough on my plate. – Pete W May 16 '21 at 19:57