U.S. President Obama has a mixed view among Israelis: Poll

Jerusalem, Dec 11(ANI): A new poll of Israelis suggests that U.S. President Barack Obama is better liked in the Jewish state than widely believed.

According to the study by the New America Foundation, about 41 per cent of Israelis have favorable views of Obama, while 37 per cent view him unfavorably.

That standing "is notably stronger than opinion toward the Israeli Defense and Foreign Ministers, and his unfavorable rating is only four points higher than the unfavorable rating for former U.S. President George W. Bush," the study's authors found.

However, it is also lower than former President Bill Clinton's approval ratings, as judged by respondents on a scale of one to 100.

"There are very mixed emotions and assessments of the president. People genuinely admire him and like him," The Politico quoted Jim Gerstein, a key figure in the left-leaning Jewish group J Street, as saying.

The study also suggested that Obama, who has not visited Israel as President, and has been criticized by allies for failing to reach out to the Israeli public, is unusually unpopular for an American president in a country that's deeply tied to the United States.

It also found that 50 percent of Israelis see Obama as "weak on terrorism" and 43 per cent view him as "naove". (ANI)