Steve Clemons at the Washington Note reports today that Rep. Robert Wexler, who will be leaving Congress soon to head the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, sent a letter to other members of Congress noting increasing support among Israelis toward President Obama, and stressing the need for Obama to address Israelis directly with a clear proposal to move the peace process forward. The basis for his letter rests on the results of a survey published by the New America Foundation which shows a much higher favorability rating for Obama than generally thought.
As his letter states:
After reviewing the New America Foundation's national survey of 1,000 Israelis it is clear that there is greater support among the Israeli public for President Obama and American efforts to move the Israeli-Palestinian peace process forward than previously reported. These poll numbers suggest the Israeli public is willing to move the peace process forward with its ally, the United States, and under the right circumstances. It also suggests that President Obama has a unique window of opportunity to directly engage the Israeli public to pursue a course of peace in cooperation with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The poll, which was released yesterday, shows that Obama has a 41% favorability rating, much higher than the 4% which has been touted previously. As Wexler noted in his letter to Congress, with Obama's unfavorability rating of 37%, this is only slightly higher than unfavorable attitudes toward Bush, who is generally seen as very popular among Israelis.
Wexler continues in his letter to stress the important role of the United States in pursuing a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict:
Additionally, the poll reports that by a 65% to 31% percent margin, Israelis believe that the United States is the only powerful country that Israel can count on in the world today. Further, they do not believe Israel will be able to build alliances with other powers if relations with the U.S. ever deteriorate. According to the poll, if President Obama were to put forward a peace plan based on the previous Taba talks, such a plan would receive the support of a majority of Israelis if Prime Minister Netanyahu is on board (53% to 45%), while the public is evenly split (48%) if Prime Minister Netanyahu rejects the plan.
This poll is a helpful reminder that the unbreakable bond shared by Americans and Israelis remains strong and that only through greater cooperation can we ensure peace, prosperity and security in the Middle East.