An amazing 77% of Germans are hostile to Israel

A poll by the BBC shows that the population of Western Europe views Israel with great hostility and that the most averse country to Israel is Germany.  This is appalling considering that Germany was responsible for the industrial extermination of 6 million Jews, including 1.5 million children.

The BBC report (Israel and Iran Share Most Negative Ratings in Global Poll) indicates "Large majorities also have negative views [of Israel] in Europe, including Germany (77%), Greece (68%) and France (66%)". Interestingly, Turks and Indonesians have a slightly better opinion of Israel than Germans.  This is what the poll reveals about opinions in Western Europe :

- Germany : 77% negative views - 10% positive

- Greece : 68% negative views - 11% positive

- France : 66% negative views - 12% positive

- Great-Britain: 65% negative views - 17% positive

- Portugal: 60% negative views - 12% positive (there are less than 1 000 Jews in Portugal!)

- Italy : 58% negative views - 18% positive


Interestingly, in a recent op-ed in Le Monde, German writer Peter Schneider complained that when dealing with the Israel-Palestine conflit"Germany is still petrified by the notion of guilt" ...  What guilt means to intellectuals like Schneider remains to be determined.

Germany: long-standing anti-Semitic, anti-Israel exhibit in Cologne city centre

Prof. Christian Tomuschat, German Israel-basher heads GOLDSTONE II