Most Americans think that President Barack Obama should meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu when he visits the United States next month, but a large plurality disapproves of House Speaker John Boehner’s invitation for him to speak in Congress, according to a new poll.
The different results made interesting reading for Israeli newspaper readers, with Haaretz headlining that “Americans Disapprove on Netanyahu Invitation to Netanyahu” and the Times of Israel offering ” Poll: Most Americans think Obama should meet PM in March.”
Both headlines are correct but neither one tells the whole story.
Details of the poll, carried out by the British-based YouGov in association with the Huffington Post, revealed a sharp split along racial lines.
Concerning whether it was “appropriate” for Boehner to invite Netanyahu two weeks before the Israeli elections:
All respondents: Inappropriate – 47 percent
Appropriate: – 30 percent
Blacks and Hispanics: Inappropriate – 67 percent
Appropriate – 12 percent.
An even sharper difference was shown when respondents were asked if their local Congressman should attend Netanyahu’s speech:
All respondents Yes – 46 percent
No – 24 percent
Black respondents: Yes – 16 percent
No – 47 percent
More than half of the respondents – 58 percent – said that President Barack Obama should meet with the Prime Minister , something which the president has said he will not do, while most Afro-Americans said Obama should not meet with him.
Not surprisingly, half of Republican respondents said their Congressman should attend Netanyahu’s speech, while only 30 percent of Democrats agreed.
