BICOM

The number of British people who do not support economic boycotts of Israel has increased over the last year, according to new polling.

The annual Populus opinion poll has revealed that 51 per cent of people “do not boycott Israeli goods, and find it difficult to see why others would single out Israel given everything else that is going on in the world”.  This is up eight per cent compared to last year’s survey. 12 per cent of people disagreed with the statement. 56 per cent of people agree that a boycott would hurt both Palestinians and Israelis and this has increased by nine per cent since October 2015.

48 per cent of people agree that ‘hating Israel and questioning its right to exist is antisemitic’.  20 per cent believe that it is not.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UK Mark Regev said: “Today’s results affirm the strong ties between our two countries. It is encouraging that more than ever, Britons view Israel as their strongest ally in the region. Equally important, most people correctly believe that demonization of Israel is in fact anti-Semitic, and must not be tolerated.”

BICOM CEO James Sorene said that the poll demonstrates “a very significant shift against the idea of boycotting Israel,” adding that “the British sense of fair play is a clear theme in the poll as time and again respondents reject singling out Israel, given everything else going on in the world”.

The poll also covered a range of other subjects, including the Balfour Declaration, Israel’s role as a key ally of the UK, and UK warmth towards Israel and the Palestinians.

The poll found that there has been an increase in the number of people agreeing with the British policy in 1917 to support the creation of a Jewish homeland, as expressed in the Balfour Declaration. The finding is especially revealing given that the document approaches its centenary in 2017. 43 per cent say they agree with the policy, up from 40 per cent the year before. 18 per cent of people disagree with the policy.