The latest poll of Israeli public opinion shows that a mere 6 percent of the Jewish population consider President Barack Obama to be a friend of Israel, down from 31 percent a few weeks ago.
According to the Smith Research poll conducted for The Jerusalem Post, exactly half the people surveyed believe Obama’s administration is more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli, and 36 percent said the policies were neutral.
The poll was taken in the wake of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech from Bar Ilan University last Sunday, which earned a 71 approval rating in Israel, indicating the Israeli Jewish public has swung strongly to the right with regard to settlements and other issues in dispute with the United States.
The poll also showed that Israeli Jews are strongly in favor of allowing settlements to continue building to meet ‘natural growth’ inside established settlements and the number of Israelis willing to evacuate settlements has shrunk.
“Some of the indications we have seen in the last few weeks make it more difficult for Israelis to see the U.S. in its traditional role as an honest broker,” said Zalman Shoval, a two-time Israeli ambassador to Washington and currently a foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu.
“The vast majority of Israelis don’t blame the prime minister for a confrontation with the U.S. They are putting the onus on the Obama administration.”
Story compiled by International Christian Embassy Jerusalem; (icej.org).
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