Hungarians sympathize with Israel, and there is considerable public concern about Islamic terrorism, according to the latest survey conducted by Szazadveg . The survey assessed public attitudes towards the Israel and Hamas conflict. As a starting point, the research group examined the perception of Israel, Palestine and Hamas among the Hungarian adult population. The results show that
Israel's popularity index is in the positive range, while in the case of Palestine and Hamas, this indicator is clearly negative.
Data analysts added that this means that the Hungarian public feels sympathy for Israel, while Hamas is strongly condemned in Hungary. The overwhelming majority of those polled, 94 percent, had heard that the Hamas terrorist organisation had killed more than a thousand civilians in the Jewish state in recent weeks.
The current rise in anti-Israel voices in the public discourse, including in the European Parliament with
a group of leftist MEPs outright questioning Israel's right to protect the country, while in the Hungarian Parliament left-liberal MP Akos Hadhazy voted against the parliamentary resolution condemning Hamas's attack on Israel,
They wrote that the favorability index of pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas politicians in Hungary and Brussels is strongly negative, meaning that the Hungarian population is strongly critical of anti-Israel public figures.
The Szazadveg study pointed out that the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas has also led to an increase in the terrorism threat in Europe. They recalled that in October, Islamist terrorists carried out two terror attacks in France and Belgium in six days, killing three people and seriously injuring several others. In this context, it is not surprising that
87 percent of respondents are concerned that Islamic terrorism may reappear in Europe in the near future,
they stressed.
The researchers' statement recalled that Hamas militants carried out a terrorist attack against Israel on 7 October, which resulted in more than 1,400 casualties, mostly civilians. In response to the Palestinian terrorist organisation's action, Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip aimed at destroying Hamas infrastructure. At the same time
in support of Palestine and/or Hamas mass demonstrations - not without anti-Semitic manifestations - took place in many large Western European cities,
In light of these developments, Szazadveg has assessed public attitudes towards the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Cover photo: Pro-Palestinian protest in London (Photo: MTI/EPA/Andy Rain)
