Even Before Cairo--Israelis Did Not Trust Obama

Each month, Ynet publishes a The War and Peace Index. The results were published on Thursday, though the poll was taken earlier.

Among the results:

...the majority of the Israeli public - 55% - felt the US president leans in favor of the Palestinians.

Only 5% said Obama supports the Israeli stance, while 31% said they feel he is neutral, a poll published on Thursday showed.

Sixty percent of Israelis don't trust the president to consider and protect Israel's interests during his efforts to improve relations between America and the Muslim world. [emphasis added]

On the issues of the two state solution and the settlements:

The sweeping majority (67%) of the Jewish public in Israel still believes there is not [sic] chance for an agreement with the Palestinians that doesn't include the two states for two people's formula, while only 18% think there is a chance for an agreement without this formula.

The Jewish Israeli population is spilt on the matter of settlements, with a small majority of 48% saying they weaken the Israeli interest, as opposed to 43% who said settlements actually contribute to the State's interests.

A majority of 53% said Israel should not agree to evacuate all settlements, even if a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians depended on it, while 41% said they support evacuation.

Read the whole thing.

Basically, the majority of Israelis are behind the idea of a two state solution--though the poll does not indicate how wary they may be of pursuing it at this time.

A sizable percentage of Israelis oppose the idea of settlements--but most are not prepared to leave them.

You get the impression that if Obama really wanted to push ahead with the two state solution and eliminate the settlements--he would have been better off sweet talking the Israelis and pressuring the Arabs.

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