Polls Ask: How Much Do You Think Obama Loves Israel?

By Nathan Jeffay May 14, 2010

It’s the million dollar question here in Israel – what, exactly, does the public think of President Barack Obama? A Jerusalem Post poll in March indicated that just 9% of Jewish Israelis think that his administration is more pro-Israeli than pro-Palestinian. Now, figures from Tel Aviv University’s monthly opinion poll paint a very different picture.

Pollsters asked the same question: what do you think Obama’s attitude towards Israel is? 34% described him as very friendly or friendly but the most popular response with 43%, said Obama is “pragmatic-neutral.” In the Jerusalem Post poll, 48% of people said Obama favors the Palestinians over Israel.

Is this a warming to Obama or a warning about how different polls tell different stories?

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