US President Barack Obama’s popularity has risen sharply in Israel after he spoke out forcibly against a Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations last week, according to a poll published by the Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
The poll found 54% of Jewish Israelis thought Obama’s policy was favourable to Israel, while 19% said it was pro-Palestinian. A survey in May showed 12% thought US policy was pro-Israel and 40% saw it as pro-Palestinian.
The surge in popularity followed a speech by Obama at the United Nations on September 21 in which he rejected a Palestinian quest for statehood recognition and detailed the persecution of the Jewish people through history.
Obama’s UN speech was hailed by Israeli politicians of all colours, while Palestinian leaders complained that he had ignored the plight of their people who have been striving for independence for decades.
After taking office in 2009, Obama was criticised by many pro-Israeli groups for being too tough on Israel in his efforts to coerce the two sides back to the negotiating table.
Recent polls in the US media have said his popularity amongst US Jewish voters — traditionally loyal to the Democratic Party — has slipped and the Republican party has been swift to brand Obama as anti-Israeli.
Obama won the support of nearly 80% of Jewish voters in 2008, and a fall in this support in 2012 could jeopardise his re-election drive in battleground states such as Florida and Pennsylvania, where Jewish voters are an important swing bloc.
The Jerusalem Post said its poll surveyed 506 people and had a margin of error of 4.5%. – Reuters