BICOM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to Israel yesterday following a six-day visit to Washington. Speaking at Ben Gurion Airport, Netanyahu said that he found wide American support for Israel’s basic demands in order to achieve a peace deal with its neighbours, including ‘recognition of the state of Israel as a nation for the Jewish people, the need for borders, security and the complete renunciation of Hamas,’ Netanyahu said. Netanyahu made several important speeches during his recent trip, with a highlight being his address to the US Congress on Tuesday. ‘In the US, I suggested a broad political outline which most of the people in Israel support,’ the prime minister added.

According to a new poll conducted by Haaretz, Netanyahu’s popularity increased among the Israeli public following his trip to the US. According to the poll, 47 percent of the Israeli public believed the US trip was a success for Netanyahu, while 10 percent viewed it as a failure. Twenty-seven percent of the Israelis polled said they believe relations between the US and Israel would improve as a result of the visit, while 13 percent thought relations would be harmed. In terms of Netanyahu’s popularity as prime minister, 38 percent expressed satisfaction with Netanyahu’s performance before the visit; following the visit this number has increased to 51 percent.