New poll shows hardening of anti-Israeli attitudes across Arab world
A staggering 89% of respondents in 16 countries said they did not believe in normalizing the ties with the Jewish state
The vast majority of Arabs do not support official recognition of Israel and the normalization of ties with the Jewish state, according to a new poll citing 89% of respondents from 16 countries as either outright hostile or deeply sceptical of the possibility.
Conducted by the Arab Center Washington DC (ACW) in cooperation with The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS), the survey canvassed some 8,000 respondents to gauge the Arab world's opinion on prospects for peace with Israel in the wake of the October 7 massacre and the subsequent war in Gaza.
The survey also included a country-specific breakdown, which reflected a change in perspective among nations that have recently either normalized the ties with the Jewish state or taken significant steps to that effect. In Saudi Arabia, opposition surged from 38% in 2022 to 68% in the latest poll; Morocco saw an hike from 67% to 78%, and Sudan from 72% to 81%.
The figures represent the lowest level of recognition since the poll was first conducted in 2011.
“As people in the Arab world watched Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, with the full support of the United States, we sought to conduct a survey to gauge our public opinion of the war, and of the U.S. position towards the war, and its impact on U.S. policies, interests and relations in the region,” said Tamara Kharroub, deputy executive director and senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC.
Kharroub has omitted to mention that the war was sparked on October 7 by the worst antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust.