President Donald Trump’s approval rating among Jewish Israelis has dropped by 23 percentage points since he took office in January.
One possible factor: the absence of a firm decision as to whether he will move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as promised.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the poll, conducted by Smith Research was released on Thursday and found that only 56% of 500 Jewish Israelis who were polled said they considered the Trump administration more pro-Israel than pro-Palestinian. That figure is down from 79% on January 11.
Jewish Israelis do not think Trump has turned against them, however. The poll also found only a one percentage point increase in those who consider the Trump administration to be more pro-Palestinian, rising from 3% to 4%.
The poll reportedly had a margin of error of 4.5%. Another poll will be taken after Trump’s Israel visit.
The Jerusalem Post notes that Trump will need to work to convince Israelis that he is on their side during his visit to the Holy Land next week.
Also on Thursday, a White House official told Breitbart News that it does not expect to announce plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, despite Trump’s campaign promise to do so.
“There’s no planned announcement for the embassy on the trip,” the White House official said. However, the official reportedly cautioned that the plan could change.
Separately, the Post reported Thursday that a decision on the embassy could take place after Trump’s visit.
Despite the absence of confirmation or a solid plan for the potential embassy move, Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has toured several sites in Jerusalem to decide which is best for the relocation. He has also expressed his confidence that the move will ultimately take place.
During a Jerusalem Unity Day event at the Capitol on Wednesday, DeSantis said, “I’m not necessarily predicting that that’s going to happen, but I think if you’re ever going to do it, with all the celebrations that are going to be going on next week, just think of how much energy this would ad to that; not only in Israel, but here in the United States, for the millions and millions of Americans who would like to see this happen.”
He added, “moving the embassy there [to Jerusalem] is a great statement to say Israel is here to stay.”