More Israelis, 43%, disapprove of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s treatment of US President Joe Biden than support it, 36%, according to a Maariv/Jerusalem Post poll conducted this Wednesday and Thursday.
The poll by Panel4All.co.il among 510 Israelis was published Thursday, the same day that US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan arrived in Israel to discuss the timeline for the Gaza war.
It comes as Biden and Netanyahu – longtime friends who are known for being diplomatically at odds – have had a public disagreement over the future of Gaza after Israel’s military campaign to oust Hamas from the enclave is over.
The spat comes amid Netanyahu’s dramatic slide in the polls since last year’s elections, when his party received 32 mandates.
The Panel4All poll showed that the Likud Party under his leadership would garner 17 seats if the election was held today.
Disagreement over Gaza's future
Netanyahu’s statements about Biden have played well with the Likud base, according to the poll, with 63% of Likud voters approving of his treatment of Biden.
In contrast, about 78% of Minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party voters and 68% of opposition leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid Party voters disapproved of Netanyahu’s stance toward Biden.
Biden has supported Israel in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre. He flew to Israel after the attack and has offered Israel diplomatic and military backing.