Poll Boost for Netanyahu after Shalit Swap

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu improved his standing among the Israeli public by approving a deal to secure the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, a poll published on Wednesday showed.

The survey, commissioned by Israel Hayom newspaper, was carried out on the eve of the return of Shalit, who was held captive in Gaza for more than five years and freed in exchange for the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.

The poll found 29.1 percent of Israelis had an improved opinion of the Israeli leader in the wake of his decision to approve the landmark exchange.

Another 58.6 percent said their opinion of him was unchanged and 8.7 percent said they held a lower opinion of Netanyahu for agreeing the deal with the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement.

While controversial, the deal had broad support among the Israeli public, with 75 percent of respondents backing the deal, and 61.5 percent saying they felt the government had "conducted itself correctly" during the negotiations.

Only 15.5 percent said they were opposed to the agreement, with 23.4 percent saying the government had conducted itself "incorrectly" in the Egyptian-brokered negotiations with Hamas.

The newspaper did not specify how many people were surveyed in the poll, nor did it give a margin of error, but the percentages in favor of the deal were similar to those found in polls after the agreement was announced last week.