While Prime Minister Netanyahu is aiming for an agreement with Saudi Arabia, a new and particularly extensive survey by the Emirati Institute examined, for the 15th time, the positions of the younger generation in Arab countries regarding normalization with Israel. As expected, most young people in Arab countries oppose normalizing relations with Israel, but the surprising data emerge in the differences between countries.
Thus, for example, most young people in some of the countries that have established official relations with Jerusalem actually support strengthening diplomatic ties with it: in the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Egypt.
Much has been said about Saudi Arabia in recent years regarding the establishment of diplomatic relations, and it is considered the jewel in the crown of normalization. However, the survey shows that the younger generation in the kingdom is not enthusiastic about this. A statistic that will probably interest Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to the survey, 98% of young Saudis oppose normalization, and only 2% support it.
Mohammed bin Salman. Young people in his country oppose normalization, Photo: Reuters
At the same time, when young people were asked whether they supported or would support their governments' decision to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel, 75% of Emiratis and a third of Bahrainis (30%) supported. The Kingdom of Bahrain, it should be noted, has a Shiite majority living under the control of a Sunni minority. So it's no surprise that 53 percent of young people oppose the Abraham Accords, according to the survey.
Just recently, there was an attack on the Egyptian border, in which three IDF soldiers fell. The straw incident resurfaced the question of relations between the peoples in light of the hostility towards Israel. Against this background, young Egyptians in the survey expressed support for relations with Israel at a high rate of 73%. In Morocco, a majority of 50% of respondents support normalizing relations compared to 44% oppose, with the rest "not knowing."
60% believe a confrontation with Iran will come
Another result to note is that in Sudan, which is in the midst of an internal military conflict, 94% of young people oppose establishing formal diplomatic relations with Israel. A move that has not yet been completely completed. In contrast, in South Sudan, 47% support strengthening relations.
Moreover, in Jordan, with which Israel has maintained a peace treaty for some three decades, there is great opposition to diplomatic relations. No less than 94% of young Jordanians oppose official relations with its western neighbor. Jordan, it should be noted, has a large proportion of Palestinians.
Other figures in the survey show that in Oman, 39% support relations with Israel, compared to 61% who oppose it, with the rest "not knowing." In Algeria, normalization is supported at a rate of 31%.
Launching an Iranian satellite into space. The confrontation is coming?, Photo: AFP
According to the survey, about two-thirds of young Arabs (60%) believe that tensions between Iran, Israel and the West will eventually lead to military confrontation. In the annual public opinion poll of the BCW Strategic Advisory Center, it emerged that many assessed that the regime's tyranny would worsen in the future. A third expect the country to witness more protests or even a coup. In addition, two-thirds of respondents reject the possibility that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be resolved soon. 55% reject this possibility.
The survey was conducted from March 27 to April 12, 2023 and included one-on-one interviews with 3,600 young people aged 18 to 24. This segment of the population in the Middle East stands at more than 200 million people. The sample was evenly distributed among young men and women from 18 Arab countries, including South Sudan.
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