MOSCOW, January 26 (Sputnik) — Almost half of all Germans, or 48 percent, have a negative attitude toward Israel while most Israelis are positive about Germany, a study, released Monday and conducted on behalf of the German non-profit Bertelsmann Foundation, showed.
Younger Germans, aged 18 to 29, are the most negative about Israel. More than half of respondents who fell into that age bracket expressed an unfavorable opinion about Israeli state.
However, the percentage of Germans with anti-Semitic views is decreasing. Only 23 percent of respondents said Jews had too much influence in the world, while in a poll conducted in the early 1990s 36 percent of respondents voiced such an opinion, the study found.
In contrast, Israelis are more positive about Germany. Almost 70 percent of those questioned in the Israeli leg of the poll held a positive opinion about the European country. This figure was lower among respondents under 30, with only 53 percent of younger Israelis expressing a good opinion about Germany, the same study showed.
The poll revealed a difference in perception of conflicts in the Middle East between the two countries. More than 80 percent of Israelis believe that Germany should provide political support to Israel, while half of Germans consider such a move to be unnecessary. More than 80 percent of Israelis believe Germany should provide weapons to Israel, while the idea is opposed by almost 70 percent of Germans.
Earlier in January the British Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAA) released a study which found a record rise in anti-Semitic sentiment in the United Kingdom. The study suggested that almost half of British citizens held anti-Semitic views. However, the methodology of the study and its findings were criticized by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The poll asked a series of leading questions, which suggested an answer, which is not a proper way of gauging public opinion, according to the Board.
