Haaretz poll: Most Israelis see Obama as fair and friendly
41 percent of Israelis believe building in Jerusalem should be halted until end of negotiations.
By Yossi Verter Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu Barack Obama Israel news Middle East peaceU.S. President Barack Obama's popularity may be declining in American public opinion, but a sweeping majority of Israelis think his treatment of this country is friendly and fair, according to a Haaretz-Dialog poll conducted this week.
The poll also found that most Israelis don't believe politicians who call Obama anti-Semitic or hostile to Israel, or who say he is "striving to topple Netanyahu."
The poll, which was conducted Tuesday and Wednesday and supervised by Professor Camil Fuchs, comes after reports of a crisis in diplomatic relations due to Israel's announcement during a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that it will build 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aides said they had hoped the public would rally around him and see him as a victim of overly strict treatment by the Obama administration.
However, there was no significant change in the level of public satisfaction with Netanyahu since the previous poll, conducted six weeks earlier. Respondents' evaluation of his suitability as premier also remained stable.
It appears the public was relatively unfazed by the Israeli and American media frenzy over the diplomatic drama. Perhaps Israelis are too busy cleaning and shopping for Passover or looking for cheap vacations.
The survey indicates that Netanyahu emerged from the crisis unscathed in the eyes of Israeli public opinion, but the continued construction in Jerusalem should cause him some concern.
Nearly half the respondents (48 percent) said Israel must keep building in the capital, even at the expense of a rift with the United States, while 41 percent said Israel must accept the American demand (and Palestinian ultimatum) to stop building in Jerusalem until the end of the negotiations (which haven't begun yet). Netanyahu may conclude that at the moment he may have some room to maneuver, but the balance between supporters and opponents of continued construction could easily shift.
A large majority believes Netanyahu is not deliberately causing a crisis to thwart talks with the Palestinians, as some have argued. A smaller majority does not believe Netanyahu should fire Eli Yishai, whose Interior Ministry announced the construction during Biden's visit. Yishai is not particularly liked by the mainstream, but Israelis aren't that interested in seeing heads roll - or the coalition destabilized - over this incident.
Though the public remained composed in the face of the diplomatic fracas, poll respondents are not thrilled with the prime minister's conduct in the affair.
More people said Netanyahu's behavior was irresponsible than said he acted responsibly. The public seems to be treating Netanyahu harshly; after all, he didn't plan the badly timed announcement and he did apologize several times. So why is he seen as irresponsible nonetheless?
Perhaps the words "Netanyahu" and "conduct" are a disastrous combination for a prime minister who lost power a decade ago because of improper behavior.
His performance in the first year of his current term is not especially encouraging. As soon as people hear those two words in the same sentence, they give Netanyahu an F. No matter that he didn't rant and rave, that he made an effort to soothe the Americans.
The prime minister's aides waited tensely for the weekend newspaper surveys. They believed the public's heart would be with their man, whom they see as the underdog who was scolded though he did no wrong.
The public has not turned its back on Netanyahu, but it hasn't applauded his performance either. Perhaps average Israelis cannot, and do not want to, imagine themselves living in a far worse reality than this - without the warmth and light of an American alliance.
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i cannot say what is in the man's mind about israel, but it is pretty clear that he wants to destroy bibi. maybe the CIA will be resurrected.
aside for your hope that the number of people who are willing to give the arabs jerusalem will increase, is there anything objective that would lead you to that conclusion? do you think that the US should give back to mexico california, texas and new mexico, all of which was taken in a war with mexico -- do you think that there are any americans that would agree to such a folly?
Why hasn't Mr. Verter given the numbers in the polls defining exactly what "most" means? In paragraph 2 Mr. Verter does not write the truth. If one goes to the poll, one reads that most Israelis believe that Obama "wants to topple Netanyahu." Is Mr. Verter just playing with words when he writes as he does? One must also ask, "Why doesn't Haaretz provide the complete poll for people to read including the questions and all statistics regarding the answers?" I find it hard to believe that ,"a sweeping majority... find Obama friendly and fair." Was this asked at a "Peace Now" rally? A little honesty could go a long way.
these polls are lies, obama is anti israel, his foriegn policy is failing. haaretz is also newspaper with an ax to grind against natanyaho, they will certainly sencor my comment because they don't belive in free press
This is an outrage. I do not agree with these poll results, so therefore the polls must be wrong. You must be more responsible!
The Israeli polls are better for Obama then what he gets at home. Here is popularity has been dropping ever since he was elected. Single handed he had turned many Democrats into Republicans. It is very sad after all the struggles the African American had to overcome they end up with an Obama, same goes for us the rest of the country.
So what IS the answer? Were all those previous polls 'push polls' where the question was asked in such a form as to produce the intended answer? What were the questions asked in this poll, and in what order? Who was asked? IF there has been a phenomenal change in Israeli opinion in the last few weeks what does that mean? And why WERE my two last posts censored? Just a matter of no one bothering to monitor the forums? OK. So be it. But what about the essential question? If Israeli public opinion has changed so drastically in the last week, when will there be a new election?
Repeatedly the question has been asked: "what became of those polls loudly touted in the Israeli press just weeks ago which showed the percentage of Israelis who supported Obama was miniscule? Were those polls lies? Or is this one a lie? Were they both contrived to produce the results intended and pimped by the press for effect? What if THIS poll by some chance is honest? What if the last few were? Then Netanyahu has totally discredited his government. I think if this poll is 'honest' it would not have been necessary to censor my two last posts on this matter. IF this last post is censored, then I will know that Haaretz has censored me because this was a phony poll.
"KS", I think you need to get up and turn off Fox/Faux News. President Obama is right to be firm, but fair, and I am glad that this poll shows that some people are noticing this.
are waking up and beginning to see his true intentions. Gaza is firing rockets because of Obama empowering them. Obama is doing everything to encourage Iran and Syria friendshiip at the expense of American interests.Israel cannot like Obama. I a democrat have woke up and so many Americans are waking up. Obama is making the world dangerous
Lies, damn lies and statistics. I voted for Obama, last time. Even if the Republicans put a chimpanzee as a candidate they'll have my vote. I actually like chimps. What walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck.
Yeah right!! what polls are you talking about? Obama is the most anti-Israel President the U.S. ever had.
"Nearly half the respondents (48 percent) said Israel must keep building in the capital, even at the expense of a rift with the United States, while 41 percent said Israel must accept the American demand (and Palestinian ultimatum) to stop building in Jerusalem until the end of the negotiations (which haven't begun yet)." It is well know that the answers a survey yields are by no means independent of the way questions are formulated. In any event, the quotation above suggests that a fair number of Israelis do not think that negotiations with the Palestinians should lead Israel to bring its illegal expansionism to an end. It seems reasonable to conclude that Israel's participation in any such negotiations will just be an exercise in cosmetology.
where these polls have been done? in TLV or Hertzlia Pituach?
Only an ignoramus would fail to see that Netanyahu is a fool. If this was some sort of game and he thought that he could toy with Obama, then he doesn't understand what he's up against. And if this is some clueless leak then it exposes the government as incompetent in its ability to control information flow. Any Israeli who doesn't see this deserves four more years, and hopefully with no American support.
Why doesnt Verter foget to mention that of the 40% who love obama are probably half who voted for Balad, Hadash and Baraka (Israel Arabs make up for approximately 20% of the population and of the sample)? After all, so far Obama looks like he's their man. Soon he'll be dictating to Israel to accept the Saudi plan and the right of return. Without this population, who doesnt want a Jewish state (except for its high living standards and personal freedoms) the numbers are very differnt indeed! But this Verter, conviniently and not accidently left out. But then what can you expect from the Haaretz, certainly not objective reporting.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aides said they had hoped the public would rally around him and see him as a victim of overly strict treatment by the Obama administration. " This is a pathetic statement and makes Bibi & his aides look like children.
Have you ever seen a paper put a spin on its own poll? You have now. To understand the poll you have to read the hebrew,48% responded that they were in favor of continued building in Jerusalem even if it meant a rupture of ties with the U.S. 41% were in favor of stopping building only until the cessation of negotiations with the Palestinians. No one thought the building should be stopped permanently.No where was the question, is he fair or friendly asked. 51% thought his relations to Israel were, "to the point," not that he was fair or friendly.
New York Times columnists quote Obama officials as describing Israelis as self absorbed. Paul #5 seems to prove their point. He said, "the majority of Israelis which are not opinionated like Haaretz and think more to the right." You need to be self absorbed to conclude that you know absolute truth and everyone who disagrees with you is "opinionated". You also need to be self absorbed if you read facts out of existence whenever they do not agree with your view whether those facts are evolution, global warming, Haaretz polls, or the incompatiblity of a democratic state and ultimate Israeli control over the West Bank. Obviously, not all Israelis are like Paul, but you certainly wonder if religious/nationalist Jews are so abosrbed in themselves that they overlook the world out there. Some columnists speculated that the Rabbis who determine Shas policy may not even be aware of who Joe Biden is and what their planned neighborhhoods mean to the peace process. Maybe that's true.
rumblings of impeachment, states are going to take him and Congress to court,38 states are passing sovereignty laws. I would be happy to send him to Israel to stay if he's that popular. He sure isn't in the US.
Your article is titled "Haaretz poll: Most Israelis see Obama as fair and friendly". You then devote an entire one line saying ".S. President Barack Obama's popularity may be declining in American public opinion, but a sweeping majority of Israelis think his treatment of this country is friendly and fair, according to a Haaretz-Dialog poll conducted this week. " You then provide no specific statistics to back the claim. There was no polling numbers for those that believe Obama is Fair and Friendly, and those that don't. You go immediately to polling numbers of Bibi's popularity, but not Obama. Could this be the leftist in Haaretz trying to make it seem that your opinion is the popular one, when it isn't.
HAHAHAHHA...SANTA CLAUS POLLS! OR ONLY AMONG MERETZ AND AVODA MEMBERS
best friend are jewish.Many jews are for peace and understand the necessity to compromise.
Who did you poll, Haaretz?...Swiss Dino, Chris Linthwaite, Mark Lincoln, Roo, CJ, Natallie Durson, Maureen Ann, and the other 20 daily Israel bashers? Haaretz must think we're all as idiotic and anti-semitic as most of its writers/editors. Here's a news flash for you, Haaretz. Your "paper" is all-too-well known for being the ultra left-wing, self-deprecating, Israel-hating rag that it is. It long ago ceased being a "newspaper", and is now little more than a personal blog for the world's Jew-haters....Nice Job!
Just a few months ago various Israeli sources were publishing poll results which showed an overwhelming percentage of Israelis held Obama in contempt? Push polls, polls designed to create the results intended? What about this poll? If the Four Horsemen, Netanyahu, Lieberman, Yishai, and Barak, have managed to change Israeli opinion so drastically in the last few months perhaps it is time to have another election.
Stop with the propaganda --- we despise bomba
Can't be that Obama who had single digit support in Israel is suddenly popular ! These number lie !!
I must say kol hakavod for Israelis, because if Haaretz is saying 41% agree that means the majority of the far left disagree with Obama, 59%. Needless to say the majority of Israelis which are not opinionated like Haaretz and think more to the right.
who found that "Two out of three cats prefer KIT-E-KAT"
Which Israelis are you polling? Arab Israelis? Meretz?
Was this poll conducted by Pravda ? Izvestia ? The results kind of remind of the fair and open elections in Syria where the public keeps returning the incumbent Assads with 99.98% of the vote.
That's funny because I also saw a poll today in the Hebrew press where only 22% support freezing construction.