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February 1, 2015

In Blog News

Britons like Israel better only than North Korea, poll finds

Some 35 percent of Britons name Israel as their least favorite non-European country, a worse score than Iran’s.

By Haaretz | Feb. 1, 2015 | 8:43 AM
Protesters set a representation of an Israeli flag alight, London, Jan. 17, 2009.

 Protesters set a representation of an Israeli flag alight during a rally against Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip, at Trafalgar Square, central London, Jan. 17, 2009. Photo by AP

British citizens think worse of Israel than they do about any other non-European country except for North Korea, a British survey published this week found.

Answering the question “Which of the following do you feel especially unfavorable toward?” 35 percent named Israel – scoring two points worse than Iran, the poll found.

With 47 percent, North Korea won the worst score, the Chathan House-YouGov poll found.

Israel’s score, a rise of 18 points since the last poll was published in 2012, may have been due to last summer’s war between Israel and Gaza and the civilian death toll it exacted from the Palestinians, the report posited. Respondents may have been influenced by news from the war, which featured heavily in the news when the survey was conducted, said the report.

Iran, on the other hand, improved its score by 12 points, going from 45 percent in 2012 to 33 percent in 2014.

Pakistan and Nigeria are the next two in Britons’ five least favorite countries.