A new poll has shown that only 4% of Israelis now believe that President Barack Obama’s policies are pro-Israel, as against 51% who regard them as pro-Arab – a ratio of 13 to 1 (Gil Hoffman, ‘4% of Israelis say Obama pro-Israel,’ Jerusalem Post, August 27, 2009).

The 4% figure marking a new low for Israeli confidence in the Obama Administration exceeds the previous low of a mere 6% registered in June Smith Research poll. That poll also found more than two-thirds of Israelis – 69 percent – opposed freezing construction within large Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, like Gush Etzion, Ma’aleh Adumim and Ariel, whereas only 27 percent of Israelis supported the idea (Gil Hoffman, ‘4% of Israelis say Obama pro-Israel,’ Jerusalem Post, August 27, 2009).

The latest poll finding is also consistent with the results of a June 2009 Dahaf institute poll, sponsored by Yediot Ahronot which found that 53% of Israelis believed President Obama’s polices were not good for Israel, as against only 26% who thought they were; that 51% of Israelis believed that Obama cares more about Palestinian desires for statehood than Israel’s security, as opposed to only 22% who believed the opposite; and that 51% were disappointed with Obama’s polices, while 41% were not (Gil Hoffman, ‘Poll: 26% think Obama’s policies bad for Israel,’ Jerusalem Post, June 8, 2009).

It is also consistent with the finding of a June 2009 War and Peace Index poll of the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research and the Evens Program in Mediation and Conflict Resolution, which found that 55% of Israelis believed that President Obama leans in favor of Palestinians, as against only 5% who believed he favors Israel’s stance, with 31% believing him to neutral. That poll also showed that 60% of Israelis did not trust President Obama to consider and protect Israel’s interests during his efforts to improve relations between America and the Muslim word (‘60% of Israelis don’t trust Obama,’ Yediot Ahronot, June 4, 2009). Lastly, it is also consistent with the results of the June 2009 Geocartography Knowledge Group poll which found that Israelis, by a margin of 54% to 33% supported the idea of the Israeli government saying “no” to Obama by opposing concessions to the Palestinian Authority (PA) until the PA provides peace and security on the ground (‘Poll: Israelis say “no” to Obama 54%:33%,’ Independent Media Review & Analysis, June 3, 2009).

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “This new Smith Research poll shows a new low in Israeli confidence in the policies and goodwill for Israel of President Barack Obama and his Administration. As other polling evidence cited shows, it confirms a high degree of Israeli concern and disapproval of these policies that has been around for many months.

“Taking these findings together, there is little doubt that these poll numbers show Israelis to be overwhelmingly of the view that the Obama Administration is hostile to Israel in its policies and that they are opposed to freezing Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria. 

“It is also instructive to note the rapid change that has come over Israeli opinion a few months ago. As recently as May 17, on the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting in Washington with President Barack Obama, 31% of Israelis were found to regard the Obama Administration as pro-Israel, as opposed to merely 14% who regarded it as pro-Palestinian and 40% who regarded it as neutral. Obama’s June 4 Cairo speech would appear to have greatly concerned Israelis, as has his continuing focus and opposition to Jews moving to and building in Judea and Samaria.

“The 31% of Israelis who were confident of the Obama Administration’s pro-Israeli posture has now fallen to a mere 4%. It is clear that the Obama Administration’s relentless pressure upon America’s ally Israel to not permit even one additional Jew to move into eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, demanding virtually the unilateral establishment of a Palestinian state which will certainly be a terrorist state antagonistic to Israel while putting no serious pressure on the Palestinians to arrest terrorists or end incitement against Jews and Israelis has led most Israelis to now believe that Barack Obama is friend of Arabs and not of the Israelis.”