A Quinnipiac University survey released recently indicated that Obama made a mistake on the Israel issue, and not only among Jews. Overall, the US public supports the president’s foreign policy, mostly in Afghanistan (56%) and in handling terror (61%), yet Americans are dissatisfied with Obama on one issue – his attitude to the Israeli-Palestinian problem.
This trend is especially noticeable among Jews. While they support Obama on any other issue, when it comes to Israel 67% of them object to the president’s policy, while only 28% support him. Among the overall population, a majority of 57% support Israel while only 13% back the Palestinians. According to the survey, 66% of Americans are telling Obama that they expect him to support Israel.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3880528,00.html
I knew something was odd when Nancy Pelosi declared that Congress disagreed with the President:
On Capitol Hill, Netanyahu received a warm public reception from Congress on Tuesday, with a top Democrat and Republican joining to praise a leader who has refused to back down in a disagreement the White House says threatens new peace talks.
The bipartisan welcome underscored the breadth of congressional support for Israel even when a U.S. president wants to keep his distance. And it pointed to the limited options, beyond verbal rebukes, that the Obama administration faces in pressuring the Jewish state.
"We in Congress stand by Israel," the leader of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., assured Netanyahu at an all-smiles appearance before the cameras. "In Congress we speak with one voice on the subject of Israel."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton greeted Netanyahu this week with a polite rebuke. Expansionist Israeli housing policies erode trust and the U.S. position as an honest broker, she said. Netanyahu's public reply came quickly: Jews have built their homes in Jerusalem for centuries and will continue, he told a pro-Israel audience.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/23/pelosi-welcomes-netanyahu_n_510229.html
No thanks to Hillary Clinton, who is a huge disappointment. But my thanks go to Nancy Pelosi who stood firm!