RAMALLAH, July 16 (JMCC) - A poll conducted by The Jerusalem Post has found that 46 percent of Israeli Jews believe that US President Barack Obama is 'pro-Palestinian', while only 9 percent believe he is 'pro-Israeli'.
The results come despite recent efforts by Obama to make emends to a perceived strain in the relationship between
Israel and the United States, by hosting Israeli PM
Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and describing him as a man of peace.
The US president also sat for an interview with Israeli television where he plead his case as a friend of Israel.
But what was widely described as a “charm offensive” did not immediately sway many Israelis in his favor, the JPost/Smith poll indicates. There was only a 1 percentage point rise in Israelis who consider the US administration headed by Obama to be more pro-Israel than pro-Palestinian since the last such poll was taken in March.
The question asked was exactly the same as in four previous polls sponsored by this newspaper since May 2009. The first poll, which was taken before the first Netanyahu-Obama meeting in the White House and Obama’s landmark speech in Cairo in June 2009, found that 31% considered this presidency more pro- Israel and 14% more pro-Palestinian.
The next poll, taken just one month later, found a huge shift, with the proportion calling the Obama administration more pro-Palestinian rising from 14% to 50% and the proportion calling it more pro-Israel falling from 31% to only 6%.
Those calling the Obama presidency more pro-Israel than pro-Palestinian fell in August 2009 to a nadir of 4% and rose to 9% in March 2010.
Since then, the latest poll shows, the share who consider this White House more pro-Palestinian fell by 2 percentage points, from 48% to 46%, and those saying it is neutral rose from 30% to 34%.
Respondents who consider themselves right-wing or haredi were more likely to call the Obama administration more pro-Palestinian...
Read more at
The Jerusalem Post...