More than half of young British adults surveyed do not believe Israel should exist, according to a new poll that reveals a sharp generational divide in attitudes towards the Jewish state. The survey also found that 18-to-24-year-olds were twice as likely to blame the Israeli government as Hamas for the war in Gaza, The Jerusalem Post reports
The UnHerd poll, based on responses from 1,012 British voters, found that 54 per cent of respondents aged 18 to 24 said Israel should not exist.
Opposition to Israel’s existence declined progressively among older age groups. Among 25-to-34-year-olds, 35 per cent said Israel should not exist, falling to 25 per cent among those aged 35 to 44 and 12 per cent among respondents aged 45 to 54.
People aged 65 and over expressed the strongest support for Israel’s continued existence, with only seven per cent saying the country should not exist.
The poll also revealed substantial generational differences over responsibility for the Gaza war.
Among respondents aged 18 to 24, 50 per cent blamed the Israeli government for the conflict, while 15 per cent placed responsibility on the Israeli people themselves. By comparison, only 25 per cent blamed Hamas, while 19 per cent said Hamas and the Israeli government were equally responsible.
A similar, although less pronounced, pattern appeared among 25-to-34-year-olds. In this group, 34 per cent blamed the Israeli government and 18 per cent blamed Hamas. Another 28 per cent held Hamas and the Israeli government equally responsible.
Twelve per cent of respondents aged 25 to 34 blamed the Israeli people, compared with five per cent who blamed Palestinians.
However, attitudes across the British population as a whole differed significantly from those among younger respondents.
Overall, 31 per cent of those surveyed identified Hamas as responsible for the conflict, compared with 27 per cent who blamed the Israeli government. A further quarter said that Hamas and the Israeli government shared responsibility equally.
Relatively few respondents collectively blamed either civilian population. Six per cent held Israeli people responsible for the conflict, while five per cent blamed Palestinians.
The oldest respondents again stood apart from younger age groups. Among those aged 65 and above, none placed responsibility for the war on the Israeli people, while five per cent blamed the Palestinian population.
The findings point to a pronounced generational divide in British attitudes towards Israel, extending beyond criticism of the Israeli government and its conduct during the Gaza war. Most strikingly, a majority of the youngest adults surveyed rejected the continued existence of Israel itself — the world’s only Jewish-majority state — while support for its existence increased substantially with age.
photo credit: REUTERS/HOLLIE ADAMS
More News
