New Poll: Jewish support for Obama drops to 45%

"I was just kidding about that Palestinian State thing"

Tel Aviv, Sep 27. 2011. President Barack Hussein Obama, D-Kenya, has lost much of his support from Jewish-American voters. His approval rating on handling of US-Israel relations are down to 45%, among the voters who cast 78% of their votes for him in the 2008 election.

The annual survey was conducted by AJC, a Jewish advocacy organization.

Disapproval among Jewish voters exceeded approval of Obama's presidency for the first time during the current administration. Jewish approval of Obama’s performance as president declined to 45%, with another 48% disapproving and 7% undecided.

Up until now, President Obama has enjoyed strong support from the Jewish community, who are the most  reliable and predictable liberal Democrat voters. However, his strong support and even encouragement for a Palestinian state being carved out of Israel is eroding this.

According to the survey, which included 800 respondents, if the 2012 presidential elections were held today, Obama would still hold a considerable lead over potential Republican challengers among Jewish voters. But the margin differed significantly depending on which candidate the GOP fields.

When asked about Obama’s handling of US-Israel relations, 40% of respondents gave their approval, with another 53% disapproving and 7% undecided. A year ago, 49% of respondents approved and another 45% disapproved of the president's policy vis-à-vis the Jewish State.

President tries to smooth things over with Jews

In contrast, approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of Israel-US relations dropped to 54%, compared with 62% approval last year.

In general, 63% of American Jews characterize US-Israel relations as positive, compared with 68% in 2010.

As part of the survey, respondents were also asked about their prospect for a lasting peace between Israel and the Arabs.

Less than 3% of respondents said they were “more optimistic” about the peace prospects now than they had been one year ago, compared with 8% feeling “more optimistic” in last year’s survey.

This year, 35% of respondents said their outlook has become “less optimistic”, compared to 18% in 2010.

Support for a Palestinian state among American Jews has also declined in the past year. According to the survey, in the current situation, 38% would favor and 55% would oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state, compared with 48% in favor and 45% opposed in 2010.

On a related question concerning Palestinian efforts to unilaterally seek recognition of statehood without an agreement with Israel, only 9% approved of this strategy, while 88% disapproved.

Helen Thomas loves Obama's plan to partition Israel

Support for requiring the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state is strong, with 95% saying they should be required to do so in a final peace agreement. 

When asked about US aid to the Palestinian Authority, 73% of respondents said they would support the US Congress withdrawing assistance if the PA and Hamas form a unity government, while 21% said they would oppose the move.

Regarding Iran, 43% approved Obama's handling of the Iran nuclear issue, while 45% disapproved.