Israeli-American businessman Haim Saban said in a TV interview that Israelis have gotten used to American presidents who exude warmth toward Israel, including Bill Clinton, and that is why they do not feel comfortable with President Barack Obama. “Obama is not a warm person,” he said, but “the claims that Obama has thrown Israel under the bus have no basis in reality.”
Speaking on Channel 2‘s Meet the Press Saturday, he cited statements by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak about the strength of U.S.-Israel ties as proof that the relationship between the countries has never been better.
The number of Israelis who would like to see Republican candidate Mitt Romney occupying the White House is three times bigger than the number that want to see incumbent Barack Obama stay there, according to a poll published on Meet the Press.
The poll indicates that 45% of Israelis want to see Romney win, as opposed to 13% who prefer to see Obama win. Fourteen percent said they view both candidates favorably and 28% said they favor neither.