Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel will make a tour of the United States this week, but he will most likely not meet President Barack Obama.

According to the Washington Times, "ten months into the Obama administration, persistent tension with Mr. Netanyahu has eroded the president's standing among Isrealis. They are giving him low grades for his initial, unsuccesful foray into Middle East peacemaking and feel slighted that he hasn't shown them as much empathy he has shown their Arab neighbors."

Although the Israelis still deem the United States as their most important ally and many perceive President Obama positively, he is nonetheless faulted by both supporters and detractors for not reaching out to the Israeli public as Obama publicly rebuked Mr. Netanyahu over Israel's continued expansion of settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

As reported by the Washington Times, "the criticism is reflected in two recent surveys, which suggested tha among Israeli Jews, only about 6 percent of respondents see Mr. Obama's Middle East policy as 'pro-Israel." Many Israelis say that Mr. Obama is perceived as taking a harsh tone with the Jewish state while trying to appease Arab public opinion."

Even though it's not too lat for him to send a signal to win over Israeli hearts and minds, time may be quickly running out before public opinion hardens.

Tami Shroitman, a 37-year-old urban planner who voted for the left-of-center Labor Party in the last election, said, "my greatest fear is that Israeli's are going to think that instead of (Obama) being the shoulder we can cry on, like a big sister, we're going to feel attacked by his demands, no matter how correct they are. They're going to stop believing in him, and it's going to be eight more years lost."

President Obama's push to restart peace negotiations stalled on his demand for a full halt on Israeli building in the West Bank that provoked a rare standoff with Mr. Netanyahu and prompted the Palestinians to call for a settlement freeze as a condition for renewing talks.

To read the entire article from the Washington Times, link here:

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