61% of Israelis believe Obama will sign 'bad' nuclear deal with Iran

Peace Index poll taken by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University shows Israelis have varying degrees of trust in Obama.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN

FEBRUARY 3, 2015 18:51

US President Barack Obama signs a condolences book as he pays his respects for victims of the attack at the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo (photo credit: REUTERS) — US President Barack Obama signs a condolences book as he pays his respects for victims of the attack at the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo

(photo credit: REUTERS)

Sixty-one percent of Jewish Israelis believe there is a high chance that US President Barack Obama will approve the signing of an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue even if the Israeli government makes clear that, in its view, the agreement endangers Israeli security, according to a recent poll.

The monthly Peace Index poll taken by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University, of 600 respondents constituting a representative sample of the adult population of Israel, found that 29% of Jewish Israelis believe there is a low chance Obama would approve the signing of an agreement under those conditions.

Responses differed significantly depending on party affiliation.

Among those who said there was a high chance were 100% of self-declared Shas voters, 94% of Bayit Yehudi voters, 93% of Likud voters, and 85% of Yisrael Beytenu voters.

Among those who saw chances as low for approval over Israeli security objections were 100% of Meretz voters and 95% of Zionist Union voters.

While 61% of Israeli Jews believe that Obama’s commitment to Israeli security is high, among Likud voters 51% believe so and among Bayit Yehudi voters only 38%.

Forty-five percent of Israeli Jews believe that Jews living in the US are safer than those living in Israel, 28% believe US Jews are less safe, and 26% believe that US and Israeli Jews are equally safe.

Israeli Jews believe that Jews living in France (71%), Russia (67%), Argentina (63%), Britain (55%), and Germany (52%) are less safe than those living in Israel.

Israeli Jews trust the governments of the United States (84%), Germany (60%), and Britain (49%) to make appropriate efforts to ensure the security of their Jewish communities. Israeli Jews do not trust the governments of Russia (70%), Argentina (68%), and France (60%) to take such steps.

Fifty-eight percent of the Jewish public believe a government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is better suited to deal with Israel’s security issues, while 27% state that a government headed by Zionist Union leaders Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni is better suited.

But on socioeconomic issues, 52% of Israeli Jews said a government headed by Herzog and Livni is better suited to deal with Israel’s socioeconomic issues, and 28% Netanyahu.

While 53% of Jewish Israelis would prefer the government be formed by the right-wing bloc and 38% prefer the center-left bloc, among Arab Israelis, 54% prefer the government be formed by the center-left bloc and 18% the right-wing bloc.

Asked about the unification of the Arab parties, 78% of Arab Israelis are content with the move and 11% are discontent.

The survey was conducted between January 27 and January 29. The maximum measurement error for a sample of this size is ±4.1%.