78% of Britons View Israel as a Serious Threat to Global Peace
NatCen poll reveals rising percentage of Britons who view Israel and the US as threats to global peace.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
A new survey by the UK’s National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) revealed that 78% of Britons view Israel as a serious threat to global peace, compared to 48% two decades ago, marking a significant shift in British public opinion.
The results, published by the center last week, showed that the proportion of Britons who see Israel as a threat to global peace rose by approximately 10 percentage points within a single year, surpassing North Korea in this ranking during the same period.
The center stated that Israel’s image “appears to have been damaged” due to its involvement in recent conflicts in the Middle East.
It noted that less than half of Britons considered Israel a serious threat to global peace two decades ago, before the figure rose to around three-quarters of respondents by autumn 2024, following the war on Gaza.
The proportion later fell to around two-thirds, before rising again to 78% in the latest survey, following the Iran war.
The center suggested that these results may reflect not only Britons’ assessment of Israel’s own actions, but also concerns that developments linked to it could lead to a broader regional confrontation and geopolitical instability in the Middle East.
The survey showed that 74% of Britons consider the United States a serious threat to global peace, compared to just 35% in 2024, meaning the figure doubled over two years.
The center pointed out that the United States and Israel present a more complex case in the eyes of British public opinion, as they are traditional allies of Britain, while pursuing foreign policies that a segment of the public views as carrying increasing risks.
The results revealed differences in attitudes according to political affiliation, with supporters of the Conservative and Reform parties being less likely than supporters of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Greens to view Israel as a serious threat to global peace.
The results also showed that younger Britons are more likely than older generations to view Israel and the United States as threats to global peace, indicating a generational shift in perceptions of Britain’s traditional allies.
