Israel’s global standing continues downward spiral, but many don’t grasp why, by Alex Kane on April 20, 2010

Source: Mondoweiss



BBC News released its annual poll of citizens of 28 countries' attitudes towards other nations two days ago, and the news isn't good for Israel. Israel can count Iran, Pakistan and North Korea as company--only these countries are less favorably viewed around the world than Israel.

Out of the countries surveyed, "Twenty-four countries give an unfavourable evaluation, while only two evaluate Israel positively, and two are divided. In the 28-country average, 50 per cent rate Israel‘s influence negatively and 19 per cent rate it positively."

The poll does state this caveat, though: "Even so, the average of countries polled in both 2009 and 2010 became slightly less negative; unfavourable ratings [of Israel] have dropped by four points."

Most significantly, United States citizens' attitudes toward Israel dropped from 47% "mainly positive" in the 2009 poll to 40% in this year's poll. About a third of the people surveyed in the U.S. have a "mostly negative" view of Israel.

Israelis are fretting about this trend, yet many of them probably don't have any interest in looking into and solving the problems that have caused it: the occupation, Israeli apartheid, and the Gaza massacre. The Jerusalem Post had an editorial on Israeli Independence Day that highlighted this blindness, in which it said, "Israel at 62 suffers growing pariah status, singled out for demonization in diplomatic forums, in legal arenas and in the media – its historic legitimacy undermined, its defensive measures assailed, its very right to survive questioned. Iran is central to this assault, bolstered by the bizarre partnership of the radical Left and the fascist Right in much of Western Europe and beyond."

Earth to Israel: it's not too hard to figure out why you are an increasingly isolated, pariah state. It's certainly not because of some imagined alliance that ties Iran, Islamic extremists, European fascists and the left together.