Poll shows Donald Trump narrowly winning Americans in Israel

JERUSALEM, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Though a relatively small group of Americans abroad, Donald Trump can likely claim his first victory of the election: Americans living in Israel.

Estimates show about 200,000 Americans live in Israel and one expert said he expects about 75,000 of them to cast ballots.

Typically, the Israeli-American voting bloc hues heavily Republican, reflecting the more religious nature of the community. In 2008 and 2012, John McCain and Mitt Romney captured about 75 percent of the vote.

A poll of Americans living in Israel this year showed Trump gaining more support than Hillary Clinton, but not as much as previous Republicans have enjoyed.

A survey done by the group iVote Israel found Trump earning 49 percent support among Americans living in Israel, compared to 44 percent for Clinton. Pollster Mitchell Barak, who conducted the survey, said this year's presidential race is much closer than past ones.

"There's much less support for the Republican candidate at this point," Barak told Politico. "He's not getting as many [voters]. He's still pulling half, I think that's good, but it's never been so close in Israel that I've followed."

The survey was conducted from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 and included 1,140 American citizens living in Israel. It has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.