Poll: Israelis Divided Over Chance of Syrian Attack on Israel

Jewish Israelis Believe US Attack Would Strengthen US Middle East Status, Arab Israelis Believe It Would Diminish

Israelis Divided Over Chance of Syrian Attack Against Israel

Jewish Israelis Believe US Attack Would Strengthen US Middle East Status, Arab Israelis Believe It Would Diminish

Sunday, 1 September 2013, Israel Democracy Institute, 4 Pinsker St., Jerusalem - With a potential American strike on Syria looming, the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) and Tel Aviv University are releasing a preview of the monthly Peace Index poll on the storm brewing around Syria.

Israeli opinion on the potential aftermath of a US attack on Syria:

• Syrian Attack against Israel: If the US and its allies attack Syria in response to Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad's use of chemical weapons, 46% of Jewish Israelis think he will carry out his threat, while 42% think he will not. Among Arab Israelis, 40% believe Assad will attack Israel, and 47% believe he will not.
• US Role in Middle East: If the US leads an attack on Syria, 54% of Israeli Jews believe the status of the US as a key player in the Middle East will be strengthened, while 21% believe the US's status will not be affected and 14% believe it will be diminished. More closely divided, 34% of Israeli Arabs believe the status of the US will be diminished, 26% believe its status will be strengthened, and 20% believe it will remain unaffected.

This survey, conducted August 27 - 28, 2013, included 601 respondents who constitute a representative sample of the adult population of Israel. The measurement error for a sample of this size is 4.5%.

The full results of the Peace Index will be released 3 September 2013.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Peace Index Co-Director Prof. Tamar Hermann, contact:
Yehoshua Oz
Director of International Communications
press@idi.org.il