Nearly twice as many Americans view Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu favorably as view him unfavorably, according to a new Gallup survey.
Netanyahu is in Washington, D.C. this week at the invitation of House speaker John Boehner to deliver a speech to Congress. The prime minister has been criticized by the White House and some congressional Democrats, who claim his failure to clear the speech with the president ahead of time was a violation of protocol for world leaders. Some members of Congress plan to boycott his appearance altogether.
But Americans as a whole think highly of Netanyahu. The Gallup poll finds that 45 percent of the public has a favorable view of Netanyahu, a 10 percent increase since 2012. Only 24 percent view him unfavorably.
While his favorability has improved across all parties, there is a still clear political divide. Netanyahu has a favorable rating of 60 percent with Republicans, 45 percent with independents, and 31 percent with Democrats.