Polls Ask: How Much Do You Think Obama Loves Israel?
It’s the million dollar question here in Israel – what, exactly, does the public think of President Barack Obama? A Jerusalem Post poll in March indicated that just 9% of Jewish Israelis think that his administration is more pro-Israeli than pro-Palestinian. Now, figures from Tel Aviv University’s monthly opinion poll paint a very different picture.
Pollsters asked the same question: what do you think Obama’s attitude towards Israel is? 34% described him as very friendly or friendly but the most popular response with 43%, said Obama is “pragmatic-neutral.” In the Jerusalem Post poll, 48% of people said Obama favors the Palestinians over Israel.
Is this a warming to Obama or a warning about how different polls tell different stories?
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
