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One in five Britons feels UK should be more critical towards Israel, poll finds

A survey of just over 3,800 adults showed British people are divided on how the UK has approached the conflict.

Ellie Ng
Friday 13 October 2023 19:03 BST
The flag of Israel and the Union flag above the UK Government Queen Elizabeth House building in Edinburgh (Jane Barlow/PA)
The flag of Israel and the Union flag above the UK Government Queen Elizabeth House building in Edinburgh (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire)

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One in five Britons feels the UK should be more critical towards Israel than it has been in the wake of the conflict, a YouGov poll has found.

A poll of just over 3,800 adults showed British people are divided on how the UK has approached the events.

The research found that 22% think the UK should be more critical while 16% feel the UK should be more supportive towards Israel than it has been.

Almost a quarter of participants say the UK is getting the balance “about right”.

The YouGov data showed Labour voters are “significantly more likely” than Conservative voters to say the UK should be more critical towards Israel – 39% compared to 11%.

Tory voters were found to be almost twice as likely than their Labour counterparts to say the UK should be more supportive towards Israel than it has been – 23% to 12%.

But more than four in 10 participants (44%) believe that Israel does not try to minimise harm to civilians when it makes strikes in Gaza.

A majority, 66%, say they consider Hamas to be a terrorist organisation, while 6% believe it is not.

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