BBC Poll: Israel's global image plummets

[sharonbn]

Ynet
Published: 05.17.12, 01:21 / Israel News

Israel is ranked third among nations perceived as having a negative influence on the world, the BBC's annual poll shows, indicating further decline in the Jewish state's global image.

Only Iran and Pakistan did worse than Israel in the survey.

The poll, undertaken between December 2011 and February 2012, encompassed 24,090 respondents worldwide. Iran took the unflattering top spot, again, with 55% of respondents saying is has a negative influence on the world. Pakistan ranked second (51%), with Israel and North Korea tied for third place (50%).

Last year, 47% of poll respondents said Israel had a negative effect on the world.

According to the latest survey, only 21% of respondents view Israel's influence as mostly positive, the same figure as last year. A favorable change in the West was only recorded in the United States, with 50% of Americans saying they view Israel in a positive light, compared to 35% who said they view the Jewish state in a negative light.

Declining support in China, India
The US figures constitute the highest approval rating for Israel by Americans since the poll's initiation, in 2005. Two more nations with favorable attitudes towards Israel are Nigeria (54%) and Kenya (46%).

In post-revolution Egypt, 85% of respondents said they view Israel in a negative light, a 7% rise from last year. The Jewish state's situation is particularly grim in Europe, with 74% of Spaniards viewing Israel negatively. Negative attitudes were also recorded in France (65%), Germany (69%), Britain (68%), Australia (65%) and Canada (59%).

Support for Israel also declined in China, India and Russia.

According to the survey, the most beloved states in the world are Japan, Germany, Canada, Britain and China.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...230395,00.html

[Reffo]

Ho Hum ...

Another hatchet job by the BBC. They included countries like Egypt in the survey? What next? Isn't it a bit like conducting a survey about the "popularity" of Britain amongst Germans in WW2? I wonder how that would have panned out ...?

Oh and I doubt that the results that they quote about how Australians feel about Israel are accurate. I live here and anecdotally, I know that at best, most Australians are neutral or supportive of Israel. I also know that the results of surveys can be skewed to reflect anything that the surveyors want to reflect. And the BBC has always been anti Israel. So I am very suspicious of what they did and how they did it. Just call me a cynic ...

[JerichoMissile]

I wonder why alot of nigerians support israel?

im guessing they are the christian nigerians in the south, rather than the muslim majority north of the country that views israel favourably.

israel will always be viewed badly by the world because its the only jewish state, and people around the world hate jews, so the easiest way to attack jews, is to discredit their only state, even if their was no "occupied west bank" etc.... israel would be viewed badly by the world, simply for who we are, jews.


This is a little bit off topic, but we here should all realise that if there were any jews in great number living in spain, etc.. and being easily identifiable they would be getting attacked and blamed for this european financial crisis, im 100% sure of it.

im surprised their havent been many attacks on jews in france, mainly im guessing because the financial crisis in france isnt that really bad ,yet, and because the vast majority of frances
600,000 or so jews, are NOT easily identifiable, as in there arnt "jewish suburbs" in paris, and most of frances jewish men probably dont walk around in a yamulka, and dont openly identify themselves as jews, as such.

[Madeline]

What does that really tell us other than that the anti Israel propaganda is working well? Nothing new really.

[Ziggy]

The Beeb loathes Israel... I personally loathe the Beeb and its blatant anti-Israel, anti-Semitic agenda. A BBC poll or a news report regarding Israel holds no weight or credibility.

[Firewire]

Ynet
Published: 05.17.12, 01:21 / Israel News

Israel is ranked third among nations perceived as having a negative influence on the world, the BBC's annual poll shows, indicating further decline in the Jewish state's global image.

Only Iran and Pakistan did worse than Israel in the survey.

The poll, undertaken between December 2011 and February 2012, encompassed 24,090 respondents worldwide. Iran took the unflattering top spot, again, with 55% of respondents saying is has a negative influence on the world. Pakistan ranked second (51%), with Israel and North Korea tied for third place (50%).

Last year, 47% of poll respondents said Israel had a negative effect on the world.

According to the latest survey, only 21% of respondents view Israel's influence as mostly positive, the same figure as last year. A favorable change in the West was only recorded in the United States, with 50% of Americans saying they view Israel in a positive light, compared to 35% who said they view the Jewish state in a negative light.

Declining support in China, India
The US figures constitute the highest approval rating for Israel by Americans since the poll's initiation, in 2005. Two more nations with favorable attitudes towards Israel are Nigeria (54%) and Kenya (46%).

In post-revolution Egypt, 85% of respondents said they view Israel in a negative light, a 7% rise from last year. The Jewish state's situation is particularly grim in Europe, with 74% of Spaniards viewing Israel negatively. Negative attitudes were also recorded in France (65%), Germany (69%), Britain (68%), Australia (65%) and Canada (59%).

Support for Israel also declined in China, India and Russia.

According to the survey, the most beloved states in the world are Japan, Germany, Canada, Britain and China.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...230395,00.html

Ouch!!it must suck to be compared to Pakistan and NK
well people are indifferent here ,no sudden resentment towards Israel ,only abit towards the US for pressurizing us against Iranian oil but nothing serious

[Firewire]

well since the topic came up,This particular article was a nice read


Why It's Easy To Hate Israel

May 29, 2012: A recent international poll (by BBC, involving 24,000 people worldwide) found that the nations considered to have the least positive influence on the world are Iran and Pakistan (both at 16 percent positive). Those polled were asked to rate each nation on whether it had a positive or negative influence on the world. North Korea had a 19 percent positive rating and Israel 21 percent. Iran and North Korea are understandable, as both are constantly calling for the destruction of other countries (Iran wants Israel destroyed, North Korea keeps threatening to attack South Korea). Pakistan openly supports terror attacks on neighboring India, and has done so for three decades. As the evidence piles up, some of which even Pakistan admits is true, Pakistan continues to deny that it is responsible.
Israel is an odd case as it has been the target of destruction by most of its neighbors for over 60 years. All that time, the Arab states have promised the Arabs who once lived next to Jews in Israel, that Israel would soon be destroyed. Many of these exiled Arabs (who came to call themselves Palestinians) were not allowed to settle in other Arab countries, but were forced to live as refuges in special camps, continue to call for the destruction of Israel. The Arabs living in the West Bank (part of Jordan until the 1967 war) and Gaza (part of Egypt until the 1967 war) refuse to make peace with Israel and instead continue to try and destroy Israel.

When Israel was founded, equal numbers of Arabs left (or were driven from) Israel as were Jews expelled from Arab countries. The expelled Jews either moved to Israel, or other nations, where they settled (and not in refugee camps). For the last 40 years, the Palestinians have waged several large-scale terror campaigns against Israel, all of which were defeated. But since the 1990s the Palestinians have repositioned themselves as victims of Israeli oppression and convinced much of the world media to go along with this. At the same time, the Palestinians continue to preach terrorism and the destruction of Israel in their own, Arab language, media. This is ignored by most media in the non-Moslem world, which results in Israel being constantly portrayed as an oppressor because it tries to defend itself.

Pakistan has tried, with less success, to portray itself as the victim of American, Israeli and Indian aggression. Internal propaganda plays up this narrative big-time. Pakistan will back off when asked too many embarrassing questions about their support for Islamic terrorism. But such retreats are usually temporary. For example, recently a long-banned anti-American group "The Defense of Pakistan Council" was revived. The group has been holding large anti-American demonstrations. This is apparently in response to U.S. threats to halt the billions of dollars in economic and military aid for Pakistan (in an attempt to get Pakistan to stop supporting terrorism). Many Pakistanis are angered by this threat and are responding with hostility.

The big recent change in Pakistan is the enormous shift in attitude against the army and intelligence services (ISI). This has been growing for years but last year's American raid into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden changed everything. The revelations that bin Laden had been living in a military town for years, despite constant army insistence that they did not know where bin Laden was, seriously damaged the reputation of the military. Years of growing hostility against military lies and corruption now had convincing confirmation. The generals and spymasters were on the defensive.

The Supreme Court, which had long backed the coups and tolerated the corruption and illegal behavior of the army and ISI, has stopped ignoring the bad behavior. Some generals urged the army to take over the government again but the army and ISI leadership feared even more backlash. It's not that the army might change their minds in the future but for the moment the army and ISI are on the defensive. The courts are forcing the generals and intel officials to defend bad behavior. Civilian leaders are also feeling the heat. The Supreme Court has revived corruption charges against the current president. Corruption is widespread among politicians and senior military officers. Corruption has long been a popular complaint of voters, politicians, and the media. But now something is being done about it and everyone is waiting to see how effectively all those powerful and corrupt officials will push back. They will push back, they always do, and often they win. Meanwhile, the generally free media in Pakistan reports this for the entire world to see, and the world is scared. There is no such fear of Israel, which makes it easier call Israel names.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htm.../20120529.aspx

[sharonbn]

well since the topic came up, This particular article was a nice read

well, the article may be "nice" read, however it is woefully inaccurate, to the point where it can be labeled biased.

Israel is an odd case as it has been the target of destruction by most of its neighbors for over 60 years.

incorrect. Israel has four direct neighbors: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. Half of these countries not only accepted Israel's existence decades ago, but also made peace with it. In fact, there is only one country today that openly calls for Israel's destruction, and that is Iran. Other countries may provide de-facto support for terrorism against Israel, and they are Syria and Lebanon (if you count Hezbollah), but that's it. That is far from majority.

All that time, the Arab states have promised the Arabs who once lived next to Jews in Israel, that Israel would soon be destroyed.

Really? is there any country in the world that says so today?
This was true for a brief period of time before the Arab invasion of 1947, and no more.

For the last 40 years, the Palestinians have waged several large-scale terror campaigns against Israel, all of which were defeated. But since the 1990s the Palestinians have repositioned themselves as victims of Israeli oppression and convinced much of the world media to go along with this. At the same time, the Palestinians continue to preach terrorism and the destruction of Israel in their own, Arab language, media. This is ignored by most media in the non-Moslem world, which results in Israel being constantly portrayed as an oppressor because it tries to defend itself.

incorrect.
Israel is not portrayed as an oppressor because it tries to defend itself.
Israel is portrayed as an oppressor because it oppresses the Palestinians who live under its rule.
They live without many civil and human rights for decades, regardless if there is large-scale terror campaign going on or not.
It is true that Palestinians who live under Arab rule are oppressed as well, and that point is overlooked by world media.
World media overlooks many cases of oppression around the globe, but Israel cannot wash its hands off of its own treatment of the Palestinians because of that.

I would like to add that I agree that world media is biased against Israel, and that it affects the people's view of the country, as evident in the BBC poll. but that is no justification for the aother extreme, portraying Israel as the victim.

[Reffo]

Other countries may provide de-facto support for terrorism against Israel, and they are Syria and Lebanon (if you count Hezbollah), but that's it. That is far from majority

No we should not count Hezbollah. Obviously they don't count. Nor should we worry about the fact that so called Palestinian Arab moderates who aresupposed to be peace partners, steadfastly refuse to recognize Israel as the nation state for and of the Jewish people and demand the so called right of return. None of that would mean Israel's destruction as the Jewish state, would it sharonbn?

Really? is there any country in the world that says so today?
This was true for a brief period of time before the Arab invasion of 1947, and no more

It was also true in 1967. And it is also true of Hamas today. But Hamas shouldn't count either, right?

Incorrect
Israel is not portrayed as an oppressor because it tries to defend itself.
Israel is portrayed as an oppressor because it oppresses the Palestinians who live under its rule.
They live without many civil and human rights for decades

For no reason at all, right? They don't represent a security threat to Israeli civilians, right? They were offered two comprehensive peace deals in the last decade alone. But their response was the Intifada, rocket fire, suicide bombings and the vote for Hamas.

regardless if there is large-scale terror campaign going on or not.
It is true that Palestinians who live under Arab rule are oppressed as well, and that point is overlooked by world media.
World media overlooks many cases of oppression around the globe, but Israel cannot wash its hands off of its own treatment of the Palestinians because of that

Go figure.

I would like to add that I agree that world media is biased against Israel, and that it affects the people's view of the country, as evident in the BBC poll. but that is no justification for the aother extreme, portraying Israel as the victim

I don't think Firewire portrayed Israel as a victim. He just tried to set the record straight about how the media such as the BBC has been biased against Israel. And he is right.

[Firewire]

incorrect. Israel has four direct neighbors: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. Half of these countries not only accepted Israel's existence decades ago, but also made peace with it. In fact, there is only one country today that openly calls for Israel's destruction, and that is Iran. Other countries may provide de-facto support for terrorism against Israel, and they are Syria and Lebanon (if you count Hezbollah), but that's it. That is far from majority.

Hezbollah[1] (Arabic: حزب الله‎ ḥizbu-llāh, literally "Party of God") is a Shi'a Muslim militant group and political party based in Lebanon.[2][3][4] It receives financial and political support from Iran and Syria, and its paramilitary wing is regarded as a resistance movement throughout much of the Arab and Muslim worlds.[2

Not only is hezbollah a terrorist organisation it even has seats in the lebanese parliament(i.e. they are a political party) The fact the country allows such a political party to exist is clear proof it supports Israel's destruction while syria tag along by giving monetary aid and BAM you have half of israels neighbours calling for its blood,besides while egypt and jordon arent planning openly ,they do have anti israeli rallies and anti zionist meetings,I have no doubt that even if one of the arab states declare war against you all of them will follow

[Firewire]

Israel is portrayed as an oppressor because it oppresses the Palestinians who live under its rule.
They live without many civil and human rights for decades, regardless if there is large-scale terror campaign going on or not.
World media overlooks many cases of oppression around the globe, but Israel cannot wash its hands off of its own treatment of the Palestinians because of that.
.

But I guess that goes bothways you bomb them,they bomb you,unless you consider Hamas as your friendly neighborhood palestinians

I don't think Firewire portrayed Israel as a victim. He just tried to set the record straight about how the media such as the BBC has been biased against Israel. And he is right.

True that

[Reffo]

Wake up call to sharonbn

Israel's creation the worst catastrophe to hit the world

... So says the head of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The party that ended up dominating the new Egyptian parliament by an overwhelming majority.

Head of Muslim Brotherhood Badie reminds followers of movement's "sacrifices" in efforts to destroy the Jewish state

[Reffo]

And another thing sharonbn. If you don't think that Israel is a victim (of Arab agression) then the Palestinian Arabs are not the victims of Israel either. Instead, they are the victims of THEIR OWN bloody mindedness, fanaticism, intransigence and stupidity.

[sharonbn]

No we should not count Hezbollah. Obviously they don't count. Nor should we worry about the fact that so called Palestinian Arab moderates who are supposed to be peace partners, steadfastly refuse to recognize Israel as the nation state for and of the Jewish people and demand the so called right of return. None of that would mean Israel's destruction as the Jewish state, would it sharonbn?

I was not saying Hezbollah does not count as force in the ME. I was asking whether it is representative of the country of Lebanon as a whole. Can we (and should we) say the Lebanon is our enemy b/c of Hezbollah? I don't have a definite answer.

and all that is irrelevant to the very specific point of my original statement.
My point was to address the article posted by Firewire. Please, not every discussion has to turn into into the same rightist-leftist argument.
Your irrelevant answer does not in any way refute ar even addresses my point which was:
This line from the article
"Israel [...] has been the target of destruction by most of its neighbors for over 60 years."
is a gross exaggeration of the real situation. It totally ignores the peace treaties that Israel has signed with its neighbors, totally ignores the relationships that Israel has developed with other Arab countries (like Morocco), totally ignores the de-facto acceptance of Israel by other Arab countries (like Saudi-Arabia, initiator of the Arab peace proposal of 2003/2007)

It was also true in 1967. And it is also true of Hamas today. But Hamas shouldn't count either, right?

Once again, your snide remark misses the point. Completely.
I already explained my intention in questioning the relevance of Hezbollah and it certainly stands for Hamas.
The line from the article which I addressed was this:
"All that time, the Arab states have promised the Arabs who once lived next to Jews in Israel, that Israel would soon be destroyed."
and my answer was that this description was true for the period before the Israeli independence war in 1947.
it was not true for 1967, since Egypt boasted it could destroy Israel if it wished for, but it didn't state it is going to invade Israel (which it did in 1947). Egypt did make preparations for war, but some historians say The Nasser did not intend to actually initiate an attack. We will never know his true intentions, since Israel chose to attack Egypt first.
Regardless, all this piece of history is irrelevant for Hamas, which did not exist at that time.
At the present time, Hamas is not an "Arab state" and it doesn't promise that "Israel would soon be destroyed". Perhaps it wishes so, but it is not stupid to believe Israel is going to go away anytime soon.
so Hamas doesn't count in this regard. that doesn't mean I belittle Hamas' danger to Israel.

capish?

For no reason at all, right? They don't represent a security threat to Israeli civilians, right? They were offered two comprehensive peace deals in the last decade alone. But their response was the Intifada, rocket fire, suicide bombings and the vote for Hamas.

Of course Israel has to defend itself against terror attacks.
It is very easy to dismiss everything Israel is doing in the occupied territories as defense against terror attacks.
However, I believe we should have the courage to open our eyes and see that not everything can be covered under the pretext of security measures. Sometimes, many times, the Israeli authorities deny Palestinian civilians civil and human rights for no good reason other than try to drive them to leave or plain obtuseness.
See the case for Kafr Qasim massacre as an example.

I don't think Firewire portrayed Israel as a victim. He just tried to set the record straight about how the media such as the BBC has been biased against Israel. And he is right.

Here is my point in general terms:
As I have demonstrated, the article is full of exaggerations so gross, that it seems to me that its author was not interested at all with displaying factual situation. The author was much more interested in portraying Israel as a little country surrounded by large powerful enemies who constantly and explicitly declare a desire to destroy it. Israel is constantly defending itself against wave after wave of Palestinian suicide bombers who, like a scene from a video game, blindly rush to their violent death for no apparent reason other than to kill civilians.

However, reality is more complex than a Hollywood-movie-style black-and-white, good vs. evil picture.

[sharonbn]

Wake up call to sharonbn

Israel's creation the worst catastrophe to hit the world

... So says the head of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The party that ended up dominating the new Egyptian parliament by an overwhelming majority.

This post doesn't belong here. it should be moved to this thread.
and its already answered there ....