Poll finds Americans more enamored with Netanyahu

Amid Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rift with the White House over his Tuesday speech before Congress, a Gallup poll found that the American public views the Israeli leader in an increasingly positive light.

Forty-five percent of Americans polled said they viewed Netanyahu favorably, a 10% increase from the previous poll in 2012, Gallup said Monday.

Twenty-four percent said they viewed Netanyahu unfavorably, 13% had no opinion, while 18% were unaware of who he is.

A random sample of 837 adults across all 50 states were asked in early February how they viewed Netanyahu. The poll’s margin of error is 4%.

The poll shows that the American public is largely unfazed by Netanyahu’s kerfuffle with the Obama administration ahead of Tuesday’s appearance to warn a joint session of Congress of the perils of a bad agreement with Iran over its controversial nuclear program.

While the Obama administration has advocated in favor of brokering a deal with Tehran, Netanyahu has repeatedly warned that the nuclear program is an existential threat to Israel and that the Islamic Republic is intent on developing nuclear weapons to use against the Jewish state.

Netanyahu’s determination to go ahead with his Congress appearance raised the ire of White House officials, including one who dubbed the upcoming speech “destructive” to bilateral ties.

Netanyahu’s unfavorable rating throughout the years has remained relatively steady, hovering between 20 and 28 percent.

The questionnaire was conducted as part of Gallup’s social series on world affairs.

A recent election poll by Channel 2 found that 67 percent of Israelis believe that Netanyahu will keep the top job after Israel heads to the polls on March 17.

Monday’s result matches a December 1998 poll where Netanyahu received an approval rating of 46 percent from the American public during his first term as prime minister.

That survey came a month after Netanyahu signed the Wye River Memorandum with Fatah head Yasser Arafat that saw Israel withdraw from portions of the West Bank and Gaza and granted the Palestinians limited autonomy in those areas.