BIBI WATCH: Despite Opposition To Speech, Netanyahu’s Popularity Has Increased In US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington, Monday, March 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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Almost half of American voters oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to speak before Congress this week, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Sunday.

Forty-eight percent said that Congressional leadership should not have invited Netanyahu to the U.S. so close to the Israeli elections, while 30 percent said the invitation was fine, and 22 percent did not have an opinion on the speech.

The poll shows a partisan split on the invitation, with 66 percent of Democrats opposing the invitation and only 28 percent of Republicans opposing.

Yet disapproval of Netanyahu’s speech does not appear to have had a negative impact on his approval ratings in the U.S.

According to the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Netanyahu’s approval rating has increased in the last year. In the most recent poll, the Prime Minister has a 30 percent positive rating, up from a 24 percent positive rating a year ago.

And according to a Gallup poll released Monday, 45 percent of Americans view Netanyahu favorably, up from 35 percent in 2012.

Sixty percent of Republicans said they view Netanyahu favorably, while only 31 percent of Democrats do. But Netanyahu’s favorability has still improved among Democrats, despite their opposition to his speech this week.

Netanyahu’s favorability has gone up 6 points with Democrats and 10 points with Republicans since 2012.

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Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for theod theod says:

    Popularity polls have as much credence in these issues as they did in high school.

  2. Do those 60% of Republicans know Bibi is Jewish? No? Didn’t think so,

  3. If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention. Also yawn.

  4. Easily explicable. A substantial percentage of Republicans thought “Well I done never heard of this Netanyahu guy before but it seems he don’t like Obama so he good.”

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