Peiling in Israel: EU is anti-semitisch, maar toetreding is wenselijk (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - A new European Commission poll in Israel has shown that 85 percent of Israelis want to join the EU but that the majority believe the union to be anti-semitic.

The poll, conducted by the Dahaf Institute for the Commission's representation in Tel Aviv, reveals that 60 percent support the idea that Israel should apply for membership of the EU and 25 percent "tend to support" this idea.

And an overwhelming majority (90 percent) think that the EU is a "positive development for the world".

But, for Brussels, the good news ends there because 74 percent of Israelis said that the EU's attitude to Israel was "unfair" and that the EU sides with Palestine in the Middle East conflict.

Moreover almost two out of three agreed with the proposition that the EU's attitudes towards Israel was "anti-Semitism disguised as moral principles".

Overall, the sentiment seems to be that the EU favours the Palestinians over Israel with 60 percent believing that the EU rarely or never denounces terror attacks and over half of those surveyed thinking that union aid to the Palestinian Authority is aimed at preventing its collapse.

Anti-semitism concerns "legitimate"

Responding to the poll, the EU's ambassador to Israel, Giancarlo Chevallard, said, "the concern about anti-Semitic developments in Europe is absolutely legitimate".

He added, "On this issue I just want to express the wish that the numerous initiatives taken by European leaders in the battle against anti-Semitism will be successful".

But, taken globally, Mr Chevallard said that the representation was "pleased with the results" because the results showed that "contrary to some deeply rooted preconceptions, the Israeli public perceives the EU and Europe in highly positive terms".

More controversy

With this latest survey, the European Commission will be hoping to avoid the controversy that surrounded its last poll on Israel, which showed that 59 percent of Europeans believed that Israel is the biggest obstacle to world peace.

This resulted in EU-Israel relations falling to new lows, with accusations of anti-semitism from Jewish groups.

For the survey, 997 Israelis were interviewed. The sample included 688 "veteran Jews", 161 "immigrants" - mainly "Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union" and 148 Israeli Arabs.

Of the Israeli Arabs surveyed, 52 percent thought that the EU was a "very positive" development for the entire world compared to 21 percent of veteran Jews and 15 percent of immigrants.