Vast Majority of Israelis Support Israel Joining the European Union According to New Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Poll
Vast Majority of Israelis Support Israel Joining the European Union According to New Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Poll
July 14, 2011
Beer-Sheva, Israel, July 13, 2011 — A new study conducted by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev reveals that a vast majority (81 percent) of Israelis support joining the European Union (EU) and more involvement with European organizations.
“The results also show that there is widespread misperception about the Israeli public’s real attitudes toward the EU,” explains BGU’s Dr. Sharon Pardo, Jean Monnet Chair in European Studies in the Department of Politics and Government. “The Israeli public actually views the EU and its member states as crucial players in shaping Israel’s future and would like to see both Europe and NATO playing an even more central role in the Middle East peace process.”
Pardo notes that these findings suggest that Israelis are uncomfortable with the perceived isolationism propounded by the current government and want to see stronger and deeper cooperation with the EU, with its member states and with multilateral organizations. He conducted a similar study in 2009.
This study showed that 68 percent of Israelis support joining NATO while nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Israelis are also supportive of NATO deploying troops to the West Bank and Gaza in a peacekeeping capacity. Both Jewish and Arab citizens were in agreement in their support (63 percent vs. 64 percent).
Nearly half (47 percent) of Israelis surveyed say they support EU involvement in a two-state solution as the only framework for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One-fifth (19 percent) of Israelis also say a possible EU-Hamas dialogue increases their level of support for the EU.
The most highly regarded European leader right now is German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with favorable ratings of 55 percent.
The survey also found that 8.5 percent of the Israelis are already citizens of one of the 27 EU member states.
The survey titled “Israel Positions on the EU” was conducted by Panels Research Ltd. in mid-June 2011. One thousand people responded to the survey which was a representative sample of the Israeli population. The survey has a 3.3 percent margin of error.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
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20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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