Israelis believe Biden supports Israel less than he did at war's start - poll

Only 12% of Jews believe Biden didn't support Israel already at the beginning of the conflict.

 U.S. President Joe Biden pauses during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023.  (photo credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/POOL/REUTERS)
U.S. President Joe Biden pauses during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023.
(photo credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/POOL/REUTERS)

Most Jewish Israelis believe US President Joe Biden supports Israel less than he did at the beginning of the war in Gaza, according to a new poll published as part of the monthly Israeli Society Index produced by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) on Sunday.

At the same time, most Israeli Arabs believe that Biden still "strongly supports Israel."

About a quarter of Jewish Israelis and about a tenth of Israeli Arabs believe that Biden does not support Israel at all now. Another quarter of Jews and 40% of Arabs believe Biden has been supportive of Israel throughout the war.

Only 12% of Jews believe Biden didn't support Israel already at the beginning of the conflict.

Opposition, coalition voters split on Biden's support of Israel

Differences in opinion were also noted between those who voted for opposition parties and coalition parties. Among coalition voters, about 46% believe Biden's support for Israel has weakened, while among opposition voters about 51% believe this is the case.

 A depiction of US President Joe Biden smiling on a billboard with the word ''Thanks!'' emblazoned across it, is seen amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Jerusalem, November 28, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/Howard Goller)
A depiction of US President Joe Biden smiling on a billboard with the word ''Thanks!'' emblazoned across it, is seen amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, Jerusalem, November 28, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/Howard Goller)

Additionally, among coalition voters, over 37% believe Biden no longer supports Israel or already didn't support Israel at the beginning of the war. Meanwhile, among opposition voters, only 7.9% feel the same. 

“It seems that even those Israelis who do not express trust in Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's leadership – around seventy percent according to previous surveys – also do not support proposals made by the US Administration regarding the way the war should be conducted – operating in Rafah for instance - or regarding the 'day after,' the two-state solution for example, and see such proposals as an expression of a decline in President Biden's support for Israel," said Prof. Yedidia Stern, president of the JPPI, in response to the poll results.