Vast majority of Israelis don’t trust Biden on critical issues, poll shows

The survey took place ahead of Biden’s arrival in Israel on July 13, which will be followed by visits to the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS

The vast majority of Israeli do not trust the Biden administration to take into account Israeli interests during its negotiations with Iran over a renewed nuclear deal or in other critical matters, a new poll shows.

Biden will arrive in Israel on July 13, ahead of visits to the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states.

Ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit, the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) conducted a flash survey that examined the public’s attitudes toward the Biden administration’s policy on various issues, and which indicated in general that the Israeli public does not trust the Biden administration.

The survey shows that a large majority of the Israeli public, 75%, does not trust the Biden administration to take into account Israeli interests during the negotiations with Iran. A breakdown of the numbers shows that 79% of Israeli Jews do not trust the Biden administration on this issue, while 54% of Arab Israelis do.

As for a possible signing of a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia in the near future similar to the Abraham Accords, the public is equally divided as to whether President Joe Biden will bring about a breakthrough, with 46% saying it will and 46% saying he won’t.

On the diplomatic process with the Palestinian Authority, the public expressed pessimism, with a very large majority of 82% of Jews who do not believe that the efforts of the Biden government will lead to a breakthrough in the stagnant situation.

Similarly, only a minority of 32% of Jews will support a two-state solution if it is returned to the negotiations table.

An overwhelming majority of Israelis, 87%, believe that the chances of signing a peace agreement with the Palestinians in the next five years are low. The situation has not changed since 2019 when 88% estimated it that way.

As for The Biden administration and maintaining Israel’s interests in the framework of Israel-U.S. relations, most Israelis, 54%, do not trust the Biden administration to take into account Israel’s interests in the design of the overall system of relations between Israel and the U.S.

The survey was conducted by Prof. Tamar Herman, Dr. Or Anabi, and Yaron Kaplan of the Viterbi Center for Public Opinion Research and Policy at the Institute, and is based on a representative national sample (606 interviewees) of the entire adult population in Israel aged 18 and over.

Arab Gulf StatesBiden AdministrationIran nuclear dealIsrael Democracy InstituteJoe BidenPalestinian AuthoritySaudi ArabiaUS-Israel relations