Alarming findings: 96% of Saudis believe Arab countries should sever all ties with Israel in protest of the war in Gaza, according to a survey by the Washington Institute for Middle East Policy.
According to the survey, 40% of Saudis hold favorable views of Hamas – a jump from a poll conducted a few months before the war began, when 10% of the kingdom's citizens expressed support for the organization. Only 16% of Saudis in the current poll said Hamas should stop calling for the destruction of Israel and accept the two-state solution.
The survey, conducted by the pro-Israel institute, surveyed 1,000 Saudi citizens and was conducted between November 14 and December 6.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Worried about the war because of its impact on young Saudis, Photo: AP
According to American analysts, as well as officials in the United States and Saudi Arabia, before the war, when efforts to normalize American-mediated relations between Jerusalem and Riyadh were about to bear fruit, young people in the kingdom tended to express less interest in the Palestinian issue – at least compared to their parents' generation. A few weeks ago, the senior New York Times commentator toured Saudi Arabia and got the impression that the kingdom fears the protracted war, partly because of the radicalization of young people.
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