Public opinion polls conducted in recent years have examined changes in the Israeli public’s attitude toward China. The strengthening of relations between Israel and China about a decade ago led to an increase in the Israeli public’s positive perception of China, reaching its peak in 2017. Since then, due to the growing rivalry between the United States and China, there’s been a gradual decline in support for China, both in Israel and in other Western democratic countries. China, which prides itself on adopting a neutral policy toward international conflicts, still hasn’t condemned Hamas’s attack on October 7 and has even expressed support for the Palestinians’ “right” to armed struggle for achieving self-determination. Since the outbreak of the war, China has often criticized Israel in official statements and has worked against it within the framework of international organizations, including the UN Security Council. Additionally, in light of the escalation between Israel and Iran, China quickly condemned Israel’s attack on the Iranian general in Damascus but still hasn’t condemned the Iranian missile and UAV attack against Israel.
The “Swords of Iron” survey conducted in April, led by the Data Analytics Desk at INSS, examined the Israeli public’s attitude toward Israel–China relations. According to the findings, the majority of the Israeli public (54%) consider China to be an unfriendly or hostile country to Israel. Only a small minority (15%) perceive China as a friendly country or an ally of Israel, while the rest (31%) answered “don’t know.” Negative perceptions against China are more common among the Jewish public (compared to the Arab public). Another statistic shows that around a quarter of the Israeli public (26%) and about a third of the Jewish public (about 30%) report a negative change in their perception of China since the outbreak of the war. In conclusion, the level of support for China among the Israeli public has continued to decline since the outbreak of the war. The main reason for this is apparently China’s clear pro-Palestinian position and its alignment with Iran and the axis of resistance against Israel, the United States, and the West.
Public opinion polls conducted in recent years have examined changes in the Israeli public’s attitude toward China. The strengthening of relations between Israel and China about a decade ago led to an increase in the Israeli public’s positive perception of China, reaching its peak in 2017. Since then, due to the growing rivalry between the United States and China, there’s been a gradual decline in support for China, both in Israel and in other Western democratic countries. China, which prides itself on adopting a neutral policy toward international conflicts, still hasn’t condemned Hamas’s attack on October 7 and has even expressed support for the Palestinians’ “right” to armed struggle for achieving self-determination. Since the outbreak of the war, China has often criticized Israel in official statements and has worked against it within the framework of international organizations, including the UN Security Council. Additionally, in light of the escalation between Israel and Iran, China quickly condemned Israel’s attack on the Iranian general in Damascus but still hasn’t condemned the Iranian missile and UAV attack against Israel.
The “Swords of Iron” survey conducted in April, led by the Data Analytics Desk at INSS, examined the Israeli public’s attitude toward Israel–China relations. According to the findings, the majority of the Israeli public (54%) consider China to be an unfriendly or hostile country to Israel. Only a small minority (15%) perceive China as a friendly country or an ally of Israel, while the rest (31%) answered “don’t know.” Negative perceptions against China are more common among the Jewish public (compared to the Arab public). Another statistic shows that around a quarter of the Israeli public (26%) and about a third of the Jewish public (about 30%) report a negative change in their perception of China since the outbreak of the war. In conclusion, the level of support for China among the Israeli public has continued to decline since the outbreak of the war. The main reason for this is apparently China’s clear pro-Palestinian position and its alignment with Iran and the axis of resistance against Israel, the United States, and the West.