PM spikes contentious poll on US Jewish allegiance

A senior government official on Sunday confirmed reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the Immigrant Absorption Ministry and the Foreign Ministry to halt distribution of an inflammatory poll asking American Jews where their allegiance stood.

Officials who spoke to The Times of Israel said the government has not faced pressure from American Jewish groups, but that the prime minister decided to distance the government from the pamphlet after catching wind of it in the press.

The poll, commissioned by the Israeli American Council and sent to tens of thousands of American Jews and Israelis residing in the US, asked respondents to indicate where they’d place their allegiance should a crisis break out between the two allies, Haaretz reported.

The questionnaire also asked to what extent the presidential candidates or Congress members’ attitudes toward Israel impact their voting decisions. 

Israeli consulates in the United States helped distribute the questionnaire, which was done in partnership with two American Jewish groups.

A staff member at the Israeli Consulate in New York wrote to a colleague, however, saying, “Tell her not to send it out. The questions in this survey are unbearable and not legitimate,” Haaretz reported.