Poll: Most say poor Netanyahu - Obama ties are harmful

An overwhelming majority of Israelis believes relations with the US have been harmed due to the bad relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama, according to a Smith Research poll taken in honor of Thursday’s Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference.The conference will feature speeches by President Reuven Rivlin, former president Shimon Peres, Interior Minister Gilad Erdan, US Ambassador Dan Shapiro and other dignitaries.Some 300 diplomats from more than 100 countries are expected to attend the event in Jerusalem.“We decided to take a poll to see what the public thinks about US-Israel relations ahead of the Diplomatic Conference, which will be a platform for diplomats to meet and have dialogue with top Israeli officials from government, business and the military,” said Jerusalem Post Group CEO Ronit Hasin-Hochman.“The results of the poll prove that today, more than ever, there is a place for dialogue and international conversation.At a time when we are witnessing rising anti-Semitism, the deterioration of relations with Arab Israelis, and European countries recognizing a Palestinian state, it is more important than ever to create opportunities for public diplomacy and relaying international messages,” she said.Seventy-two percent of respondents said the poor personal relations between Netanyahu and Obama have a negative influence on US-Israel relations. Twenty percent said their relationship did not affect the relations between the two countries, and 8% said the leaders’ ties have had a positive impact on the relations between their countries.Nevertheless, 64% believe the US is very committed to Israel’s security, 31% said the commitment had decreased, and 5% said there was no such commitment.The poll of 500 respondents, representing a statistical sample of the Israeli adult population, was taken last week and has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.