Global support for 'Israel' dwindles amid Gaza genocide: Time
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The net favorability reportedly dropped by an average of 18.5 percentage points worldwide between September and December.
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Iranian demonstrators burn an Israeli flag during a protest against the U.S. and British military strikes against Yemen, in front of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 (AP)
Recent data obtained by Time from Morning Consult, a business intelligence company, reveals a substantial decline in global support for "Israel" since the outbreak of the war on Gaza.
The net favorability, calculated by subtracting the percentage of negative views from positive views, dropped by an average of 18.5 percentage points worldwide between September and December. This decline was observed in 42 out of the 43 countries included in the polls.
Several countries, including China, South Africa, Brazil, and various nations in Latin America, shifted from viewing "Israel" positively to negatively. Even in wealthy countries where "Israel" already had net negative views, such as Japan, South Korea, and the UK, significant decreases were noted. In Japan, net favorability plummeted from -39.9 to -62.0; in South Korea, it dropped from -5.5 to -47.8; and in the UK, it went from -17.1 to -29.8.
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Sonnet Frisbie, Deputy Head of Political Intelligence at Morning Consult, commented on the data, stating, "The data shows just how tough of a road Israel has right now in the international community."
Recent estimates from the health ministry in Gaza reveal that "Israel's" actions have led to the deaths of at least 24,000 Palestinians, with a majority being women and children. Recently, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) addressed South Africa's case accusing "Israel" of committing genocidal acts in Gaza.
Morning Consult's opt-in online surveys conducted daily allowed analysts to track shifts in public opinion following the October 7 attacks. Surveys covered 43 countries on all six continents, with sample sizes varying from 300 to 6,000 responses over a month.
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Despite the global decline, the US remains the only wealthy country with a net positive view of "Israel." The net favorability dropped only 2.2 percentage points, from 18.2 to 16, between September and December.
However, the US's support for "Israel" has consequences in global public opinion, particularly in Arab countries. In Egypt, the US witnessed a shift from a positive favorability of 41.1 to a negative favorability of -14.9. A similar trend occurred in Saudi Arabia, where the US dropped from a positive favorability of 12.2 to -10.5 during the same period.
"A lot of cooperation between Gulf leaders and Israel has been done with Gulf leaders carefully messaging to their domestic populations and tiptoeing around public opinion. I think this gives this a lot less space to do that," Frisbie says.
Normalization talks still on the table
Despite the extensive amount of destruction inflicted on Gaza, Saudi Arabia has expressed that it is still open to normalize relations with the regime once the war comes to a complete halt in Gaza. However, any agreement must pave the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
In an interview with BBC on January 9, Prince Khalid bin Bandar told BBC that a normalization agreement was on the verge of completion when the kingdom suspended US-brokered talks after the Palestinian resistance launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
He stated that Saudi Arabia still maintains the belief in normalizing ties with "Israel," despite the "deplorable" casualty figures in Gaza. But such ties would not be pursued at the expense of the well-being of the Palestinian people, he noted.
The ambassador also cautioned that there was a "failure of humanity" concerning Gaza, highlighting that the international community was not taking sufficient measures to bring an end to the ongoing conflict.
He also expressed a desire for the UK to "moderate its position" and "treat Israel the same way it treats everyone else." "The blind spot towards Israel is a real problem because it provides a blind spot to peace," he added.
Saudi Arabia, having significance in the Arab and Islamic world, has never officially recognized the Israeli occupation regime since its establishment in 1948. A potential agreement normalizing ties would mark a significant breakthrough for the Zionist regime.
