Thursday, December 9, 2010

Charm offensive and ease of pressure plays well in Israel - only 51% of Israeli's have negative view of Obama

51 percent of Israeli Jews hold negative views of U.S. President Barack Obama, while 41 percent feel positive towards the American leader, a poll released on Thursday by the Saban Center for Middle East Policy found.

According to the poll, the world figure most admired by Israeli Jews is German Chancellor Angela Merkel, followed by former U.S. president Bill Clinton, with Obama coming in third place.

62 percent of Israel Jews polled want Israel to do more to promote comprehensive peace with the Arabs, but about half of Israeli Jews believe that Arabs would not accept a solution to the conflict.

27 percent of Israelis reject withdrawing from territories occupied during the Six Day War in 1967 and establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, even if all Arab states were to recognize Israel.

Three quarters of Israeli Jews want the Palestinians to accept Israel as a "Jewish State" but only one third demand such acceptance before a peace agreement is reached.

71 percent of Israeli Jews accept accommodating non-Jewish citizens by defining Israel as "the homeland of the Jewish people and of all its citizens."

The poll also measured the opinions of the American public as well as Israel's Arab sector.

The percentage of Israeli Arabs holding positive views of Obama has dropped from 70 percent in 2009 to 45 percent in 2010.