New America Foundation Poll Suggests Israeli Attitudes Not as Hardline as Portrayed

Before taking leave for the weekend, an interesting survey: the idea that President Obama is deeply unpopular in Israel and that Prime Minister Netanyahu has little room for maneuver due to domestic attitudes is challenged by a new survey published by The New America Foundation and Gerstein/Agne Strategic Communications. Their summary is here, and I quote:

The results of New America Foundation’s national survey of 1,000 Israelis reveal a very different picture from the narrative that has taken hold regarding Israeli attitudes toward President Obama and American efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. Despite repeated media reports touting a “4 percent Obama approval rating” and arguments that the United States has lost the Israeli public’s support for renewed peace efforts, Israelis actually demonstrate a much more supportive and nuanced view of President Obama, and there is solid backing for an American-sponsored final status agreement along the lines of where the parties left off nine years ago at Taba and in the recent Olmert-Abbas negotiations. The survey also shows that Prime Minister Netanyahu has a great deal of political space to sign a peace agreement with the Palestinians, including within his own Likud party.

You can find the full survey here (PDF) and their analysis of the results here (PDF). It certainly offers a much more positive take on Israeli attitudes than many media reports and subjective impressions.