Netanyahu approval in US drops after Congress speech

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s popularity dropped in the United States in the aftermath of his controversial speech before Congress last week, a poll published by Gallup on Wednesday indicated.

The Israeli leader’s favorability dropped seven points to 38 percent, and his unfavorability rose by five points, to 29%, a survey of 1,025 American adults between March 5-8 found.

Those figures were compared to a comparable poll conducted a month prior.

Among Republican respondents, Netanyahu’s rating went up just two points post-speech. Among Democrat supporters, Netanyahu saw a plunge of 15% in approval and a 14 point rise in disapproval.

The polling company postulated that the drop in Democratic approval of Netanyahu likely stemmed from their perception of the “appropriateness” of Netanyahu’s speech, which was arranged without coordination with the White House, and his argument against a developing nuclear deal with Iran, which US President Barack Obama approves.

Respondents were split on Obama — 49% favorable and 48% unfavorable, similar to last month’s figures — while House Speaker John Boehner, who extended the invitation to Netanyahu without first squaring it with the White House, got only a 27% approval rate post-speech, compared with 49% who viewed him unfavorably.

The survey had a margin of error of four percent.