Poll: 75% of Arabs See Israel, US as Biggest Threat to Security

Rasa - A new poll published by the Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies revealed that 75 percent of Arabs see Israel and the United States as the biggest threats to national security.

News ID: 438660

Date: 15 July 2018 - 18:30

RNA - It also held that the Palestinian cause was an Arab one, dealing a blow to efforts by some Arab leaders to relegate the issue to a standoff between the Palestinians and Israelis, Middle East News reported.

Persian Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have recently begun to court Israel more overtly as they have tried to whip up a surge of animosity towards Iran.

The survey, however, showed that an overwhelming majority of respondents - 87 percent - disapproved of their home countries recognizing Israel. Ninety percent called Israel a source of instability in the region.

Asked to elaborate, many cited “Israel's mistreatment of Palestinians and its colonial policies”, the Middle East Eye (MEE) news portal reported, citing the poll’s results.

The study, known as the Arab Opinion Index, was based on interviews with more than 18,000 Arab citizens in 11 countries.

According to the report, Saudi Arabia's repressive domestic political atmosphere coupled with the ascension of Mohammad bin Salman to the position of Crown Prince as well as the regional shift in Persian Gulf-Israeli relations have affected the way Saudis engaged with the survey.

Bin Salman, who has been trying to portray himself as a reformer, controversially said earlier in the year that Israelis were entitled to their “own land,” and that Palestinians should either accept “peace proposals” or “shut up".

In the poll, 87 percent said they held a negative view of US policy towards Palestine.

According to Fars News Agancy, Washington is about to unveil a “peace plan” aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without negotiating with the Palestinians.

Last year, US President Donald Trump recognized the occupied holy city of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital” and later relocated its embassy from Tel Aviv to the city.

The survey found that 81 percent of Arabs perceived US foreign policy towards war-ravaged Syria negatively, as did 82 percent on Iraq.

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