Hardline Israeli Attacks on John Kerry Find Public Favor(with israelis), Surveys Show
By Joshua Mitnick
Two Israeli surveys published on Friday indicate that the recent attacks by hardline Israeli politicians on Secretary of State John Kerry over the peace process seem to be resonating with Israelis, and that the U.S. appears to be losing the battle to galvanize public backing for a deal.
Mr. Kerry’s warning that Israel may face rising boycotts if the negotiations with the Palestinians fail was attacked as “hurtful’ and “unacceptable,’’ last week by a minister close to Mr. Netanyahu. Another government minister said he was “not balanced enough.’’
According to a poll by the Israel Hayom newspaper, generally regarded as “pro-Netanyahu”, some 61 percent of Jewish Israelis believe that the Secretary of State meant to threaten Israel with the remarks, compared with 21 percent that believe the remarks were made out of concern for Israel.
More broadly, close to 70 percent of Jewish Israelis don’t trust the Obama administration to safeguard Israel’s security interests under the framework agreement, according to a survey by the weekly Sof Hashavua newspaper.
The Secretary of State asserted in an interview with the Washington Post that his warning about a boycott was taken out of context by opponents of the creation of a Palestinian state.
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