“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1)
An online survey by YouGov in the United Kingdom reveals that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the 10th most admired man in the United States, tied with the Dalai Lama’s 3.7 percent “admiration score” and more admired by the American people than former US presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Leading the male list is current US President Barack Obama, followed by Pope Francis and Bill Gates. Next, Stephen Hawking and Billy Graham tie at a score of 5.2 percent. Contenders for president in the upcoming election cycle, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, as well as former President Jimmy Carter, rounded out the top 10.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pauses for a moment so that a young fan can snap a selfie with him.
Netanyahu did not make the top-20 of any of the other 29 countries polled, whose top-admired people were based on “open-ended nominations from panelists across 30 countries,” and included politicians, actors, musicians, and other public figures.
Meanwhile, as Obama’s term will expire on January 20, 2017, a poll conducted by Israel’s TNS/Teleseker for Channel 1/Mabat at the end of April assessed Israeli preferences for the next US. president.
The poll found that 42 percent of Israelis, who have the interests of Israel in mind, favor Clinton and 34 percent favor Trump for the leadership position.
But when respondents were asked about which candidate would work better with Netanyahu from the presidential seat, 42 percent of Israelis find Trump a better choice. Thirty-two percent chose Clinton.
The poll showed that Israelis generally have a more favorably view of Clinton over Trump, at 68 to 43 percent, respectively.
The poll also prompted its respondents to predict which candidate would win the presidential seat this November. However, for Israelis, it seems too close to call: 40 percent thought Clinton will win, with 39 percent forecasting a Trump win.
Donald Trump (Source: Flickr, Gage-Skidmore)
While one in four Israelis do not see a possibility for improvement if any of the current candidates become president, a 51 percent majority of Israelis think the next president will be an improvement over Barack Obama.
While 8 percent said the US president-to-be will not affect Israel negatively, another 15 percent of Israelis said they were not sure whether the US election would carry implications for Israel.
In his first major foreign-policy speech, given at the end of April, Trump criticized Obama for the strain on America’s relationship with Israel.
“Israel, our great friend and the one true democracy in the Middle East, has been snubbed and criticized by an administration that lacks moral clarity,” Trump said during a speech in Washington.
“President Obama has not been a friend to Israel. He’s treated Iran with tender love and care and has made it a great power. … All at the expense of Israel, our allies in the region and, very importantly, the United States itself,” Trump added.
“We pick fights with our oldest friends, and now they’re starting to look elsewhere for help,” Trump said, claiming a lack of “coherent foreign policy” by the U.S.
“In the Middle East, our goals must be, and I mean must be, to defeat terrorists and provide regional stability, not radical change,” he said.
