50 percent Israelis think Obama is more pro-Palestine than pro-Israel: Poll

Jerusalem, June 19 (ANI): A whopping 50 percent Israelis consider the policies of Obama's administration more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli, while 36 percent said the policies were neutral, a new poll has found.

A new Jerusalem Post-sponsored Smith Research poll also found that only six percent of Jewish Israelis think that US President Barack Obama's administration is pro-Israel.

The recent views expressed by Israelis follow Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's speech in support of a demilitarised Palestinian state.

The views were in stark contrast to the last poll published on May 17, on the eve of the meeting between Netanyahu and Obama at the White House.

A total of 31 percent had labelled the Obama administration pro-Israel, while 14 percent considered it pro-Palestinian and 40 percent said it was neutral.

The poll, which has a margin of error of 4.5percent, was conducted among a representative sample of 500 Israeli Jewish adults this week, The Jerusalem Post reports.

One possible explanation for the Obama administration's plummeting approval rating among Israelis, is its opposition to building for natural growth in settlement blocs, and its refusal to differentiate its policies regarding construction in unauthorized outposts, settlement blocs close to the Green Line and suburbs of Jerusalem.

Regarding outposts, 57 percent favor removing them, 38 percent are against, and 5 percent did not express an opinion.

Reacting to the poll, Netanyahu's external adviser Zalman Shoval questioned whether the Obama administration could mediate in the Middle East conflict due to the numbers and its recent statements and actions.

"Some of the indications we have seen in the last few weeks make it more difficult for Israelis to see the US in its traditional role as an honest broker. The vast majority of Israelis don't blame the prime minister for a confrontation with the US. They are putting the onus on the Obama administration," he said. (ANI)