My main complaint with Obama on Israel has been the fact that he didn't go to Israel early in his term. Not because I thought it showed some anti-Israel bias. But because Israelis were ready to fall in love with him. During the campaign Israeli politicians couldn't wait to get a picture with him. It was rather embarrassing. But really what can you expect from my Pizza Hut loving cousins. He was just as much a rock star there as he was here. I figured had he gone to Israel after Cairo he would have had Israelis eating out of the palm of his hand. As it turned out, he didn't go and Israelis turned on him - as anyone with any real Israel experience would have predicted. It didn't matter what he said in Cairo. It was that he didn't go to Israel. Soon after, the Jerusalem Post was running stories showing his approval rating among Israelis to be like 9%. And from there it went. The wingers were off and running painting President Hussein as hated by Israelis and abandoned by American Jews. At least until now.
Last week Obama gave a milquetoast address in which he basically toed the Likud line before the U.N. Avidgdor Lieberman gave the speech two thumbs up, though Bibi didn't bother to thank the president when it was his turn to speak. And now things seem to have been righted.
The Jerusalem Post is reporting a new poll showing that 54% of Israelis believe that Obama is more favorably disposed towards them than the Palestinians, 19% feel the opposite and 27% are neutral. And all it took was one say-nothing speech before the U.N.
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