A new public opinion poll conducted in the US shows that the proportion of American voters who believe the Washington administration is providing too much support to Israel has reached its highest level on record.

According to the survey, which was conducted by Quinnipiac University, 48% of respondents stated that the US provides “too much” support to Israel. Meanwhile, 7% said this support is “not enough,” 38% described it as “about right,” and 6% of participants remained undecided or did not answer the question.

“This is the highest level of voters who think the US is supporting Israel too much since Quinnipiac University first asked registered voters this question in January 2017,” the researchers who prepared the study noted.

When analyzed by political affiliation, 66% of surveyed Democrats, 55% of independent voters, and 20% of Republicans registered the view that the US supports Israel too much.

In recent years, Israel has been the focus of global criticism, particularly due to the manner in which it has conducted its military operations in Gaza. The war launched by Israel more than two years ago targeting Hamas has led to mass deaths among Palestinians in Gaza and the extensive destruction of infrastructure.

Separately, the US joined the current war alongside Israel against Iran approximately four months ago. Recent polling indicates that this step is unpopular among the American public.

Last week, US Vice President Vance warned Israeli officials not to criticize the peace agreement recently reached between Washington and Tehran. Vance implied that Israel, which is globally isolated, should be grateful for its partnership with the US.

Speaking at a press conference held at the White House, Vance said, “If I were in the Israeli government’s cabinet, I probably wouldn’t attack the only powerful ally I have left in the entire world.”

The Quinnipiac poll, conducted between June 18 and June 22, surveyed 1,165 individuals who identified themselves as registered voters. The margin of error for the study was reported as plus or minus 3.4%.

The US Senate has approved a resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to undertake military action against Iran.

According to CNN, the measure requires Trump either to halt military operations directed at Iran or obtain specific authorization from Congress before using force.

The resolution passed by a vote of 50 to 48. Its approval was made possible by Republican senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Bill Cassidy, who joined Democrats in supporting the measure. Democratic Senator John Fetterman voted against it.

The outcome was also influenced by the absence of several Republican senators.

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell was unable to vote after being hospitalized with an undiagnosed illness, while Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick did not participate in the vote. Their absence made it easier for Democrats to secure the necessary majority.

Commenting on the result, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the American public was paying the price for what he described as Trump’s historic mistake on Iran.

“This will go down as one of the most failed foreign policy initiatives in the history of the United States,” Schumer said.

By supporting the resolution, Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana also backed a measure previously approved by the House of Representatives that called on Trump to halt military attacks against Iran.

Some Democratic senators, including Tim Kaine, argued that passage of the war powers resolution remained necessary even though the United States and Iran had signed a memorandum of understanding and launched negotiations on a final peace agreement.

The Senate had previously supported the measure by a vote of 50 to 47 on May 20, but it was rejected by a vote of 48 to 47 during a subsequent vote on June 17.

Earlier efforts to advance the legislation in the Republican-controlled Senate had failed.

Under the US Constitution, only Congress has the authority to declare war.

However, many US presidents have argued that this restriction does not apply to short-term military operations or situations in which the country faces an immediate threat.

Although the Senate’s action is largely symbolic and does not carry full legal force, it reflects opposition among some lawmakers in both the House and Senate to military action against Iran and to Trump’s agreement that brought the conflict to an end.

The vote took place as the Pentagon was seeking an additional $80 billion from Congress to help cover the costs of operations involving Iran and replenish weapons and ammunition stockpiles.

Venezuela is preparing to undertake what would become the largest sovereign debt restructuring in history, unveiling a debt burden of $240 billion that is significantly larger than previously estimated.

According to sources familiar with the country’s plans who spoke to the Financial Times (FT), Venezuela will disclose detailed information about its financial position to creditors in the coming weeks, revealing total liabilities well above market estimates of between $150 billion and $200 billion.

Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim leader, is aiming to reach an agreement with creditors by the end of the year that would pave the way for the country’s return to international capital markets after nearly a decade of exclusion under Nicolás Maduro, who was abducted in a US military operation in January.

According to sources familiar with the plans, US investment bank Centerview Partners, appointed by Caracas as its financial adviser, has helped prepare a strategy to reduce Venezuela’s debt burden to a “sustainable” level.

The plan is expected to be published in early July.

The same sources said a long-awaited macroeconomic framework will also be released later this month.

Under that framework, the size of Venezuela’s battered economy is expected to be estimated at approximately $100 billion, down sharply from $370 billion in 2012, the final year of Hugo Chávez’s presidency. The country’s debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to exceed 200%.

Unusually for a major sovereign debt restructuring, the debt sustainability analysis was not prepared by the International Monetary Fund.

Bondholders are likely to interpret the assessment of the country’s finances as a signal that Venezuela will seek a substantial reduction in the value of its debt.

However, some members of Venezuela’s opposition fear that an accelerated restructuring process conducted outside the IMF’s framework could weaken the country’s negotiating position with bondholders.

Venezuelan bonds traded at 33 cents on the dollar before Maduro’s abduction and are now changing hands at around 55 cents. Those prices, however, do not include years of unpaid interest.

An investor who recently exited Venezuelan bond positions said:

“This is one of the first major restructurings where the debt sustainability analysis has not been prepared by the IMF. There should be an IMF-coordinated discussion among creditors … and a properly audited debt perimeter.”

Sources familiar with Venezuela’s debt plans said technical discussions have been taking place with the IMF regarding the country’s economic data and that the restructuring proposal will resemble an IMF-style framework.

Venezuela resumed relations with the IMF in April after a seven-year hiatus.

An IMF spokesperson said the institution is not involved in the debt restructuring process announced by Venezuela.

“Fund staff remain in regular contact with the Venezuelan authorities, including on the macroeconomic outlook, as we do with all member countries. The Fund stands ready to assist the authorities as needed.”

The restructuring would surpass Greece’s $200 billion default during the eurozone crisis in 2012, making it the largest sovereign debt restructuring on record.

Because of the diversity of Venezuela’s liabilities and the length of time since Caracas stopped servicing many of its obligations, the process had already been viewed as more complex than any previous restructuring.

Bonds issued by the government and state oil company PDVSA represent the single largest and most verifiable component of Venezuela’s debt, totaling about $60 billion, plus roughly $40 billion in post-default interest. That amount is increasing by approximately $5 billion per year.

Investors had previously estimated that Venezuela owes between $30 billion and $50 billion to oil companies and commercial creditors through unpaid bills, as well as more than $20 billion in legal compensation awarded to companies whose assets were seized under the Chávez administration.

Venezuela is also estimated to owe between $10 billion and $20 billion to China under debt arrangements previously serviced through oil exports but now believed to be in default, around $6 billion to Russia, and approximately $4 billion to development banks.

Moving faster than many creditors had expected, Rodríguez’s government launched the restructuring process last month by appointing French banker Matthieu Pigasse from Centerview. During his time at Lazard, Pigasse advised Greece, Argentina and other countries on major sovereign debt deals.

Pigasse, who joined Centerview in 2020 and was later joined by his former Lazard colleague Hamouda Chekir, has longstanding ties to Caracas through advisory work on the sale of Citgo, PDVSA’s former US subsidiary, and has maintained a close relationship with Rodríguez for more than a decade.

According to a letter obtained by the Financial Times, Lazard recently approached the Venezuelan government seeking to replace Centerview, offering to work for a fee of approximately $25 million, which it described as delivering “exceptional value.”

Lazard had sought a similar fee for its role in Greece’s 2012 debt restructuring.

Venezuela immediately rejected the proposal.

In a statement, the government said:

“As in our previous adviser selection processes, we applied a consistent set of criteria focused on team experience, expertise, quality analysis and an understanding of our circumstances … Based on the same assessments, we selected Centerview Partners as our financial adviser.”

Other sources familiar with the discussions said Centerview’s fee has not yet been finalized. Lazard declined to comment.

Bondholders are closely focused on how quickly the country can revive oil production and how crude sales restarted under US mediation following Maduro’s departure are progressing.

The Venezuelan central bank, which has resumed publishing some economic indicators on a regular basis, reported this week in its balance of payments data that oil exports totaled $5.5 billion during the first three months of the year.

Although that figure was up from $4.4 billion during the final months of the Maduro administration, it remains well below levels recorded before the default and the imposition of US sanctions.

Jeff Grills, a portfolio manager at Aegon Asset Management, said: “The timeline makes the situation even more complicated … Could this be resolved by 2026? There’s a small chance. But I think this will stretch into 2027.”