Many Israelis View Obama Favorably, Poll Finds
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Israelis have a far more favorable attitude toward President Obama than generally believed, according to a new poll by the New America Foundation. The poll suggests that Obama hasn't lost public support in Israel with regard to renewed efforts to advance the peace process, despite some reports claiming that the president had only a "4 percent approval rating" among Israelis. (You can read the full report here.)
41 percent of Israelis rated their feelings about Obama as favorable, while 37 percent rated him unfavorably, the poll found.
More breakdown of the numbers, via Reuters:
55 percent of Israelis polled said they thought Obama did not support Israel against 42 percent who said he did -- a reflection of the "complexity of views" about the U.S. leader as he presses both Israel and the Palestinians to resume stalled peace talks.
Not all of the poll's findings, however, signaled a positive sign for the president. As Politico's Ben Smith notes, the poll suggests that rumors of Obama being a Muslim seem to have taken hold among Israelis, with 39 percent of respondents saying that the term "Muslim" was an accurate term for describing Obama.
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First Posted: 03/18/10 06:12 AM ET Updated: 05/25/11 03:55 PM ET