To think that this really can't be true about young people's thoughts about Israel?

We did, but I don't see people marching on the streets of London calling for it to be wiped off the map.

Yes we fucked that up too

No, it’s really not a puzzle. You can try and insinuate that it’s some kind of deep rooted anti semitism but it really isn’t. It’s just people making an objective judgment of a situation based on what has happened to humans regardless of what religion they are.

Since it was created, Isreal has done plenty to deserve the bad feeling against it and it is disingenuous to pretend it’s all because of racism against Jews.

You seem so knowledgeable and I'm curious, how did Jews build two temples while a massive mosque was sat right on top?? Were they just really clever engineers?

Unless you think maybe Jews are actually indigenous to the area and therefore built it first?

Pakistan was created around the same time as Israel by the British as a specific homeland for Muslims, causing mass displacement of people and death.

Does Pakistan have a right to exist?

Not too worried about the Saudi/Yemen situation though? How about the Uyghurs in China?

There is a big difference between people bing exposed to what they see in the media, and people actually being informed.

The Houthi slogan includes 'Death to Israel and a curse upon Jews'.

What do you think their reason is?

"Does make you wonder though why Israel is such a focus for so many...."

The fact that its been an international law breaking, war crime committing state since its inception maybe?

Just maybe...

I think this has sadly and ridiculously become the edgy and fashionable thing to say amongst the impressionable young.
Social media with "influencers" and "celebrities" driving this as it has for other issues. Critical thinking bypassed.
I think it has also become linked in some people's views to being anti racist. Anti semitism on the other hand has always been minimised as a sort of "acceptable" racism which some don't seem to count much like Diane Abbot.
I fully believe other countries are exploiting this too.
I have a new young friend who is in her final year at university and her complete ignorance of history, politics and current events takes my breath away.

The UK isn't governed by religious law, unlike some other countries round the world. We are a Christian country in a very very loose sense.

Does make you wonder though why Israel is such a focus for so many....

Hmmmm...what a puzzle.

Why should a nation that was founded to give Jewish people across the world a right of return while denying the same right to 750,000 people that it expelled in order to create a majority Jewish nation have a right to exist? It's blatantly a colonial exercise. As such it should not exist. This is not complicated. There are not two sides to this. A nation full of Jews, Muslims and Christians with equal rights should exist. Saying otherwise is an exercise in colonial apologia and arrogance ie 'sorry we can't live as equals because this set of indigenous people are so brutal they'll kill the Jews etc'. Every single colonial project in history was justified in exactly the same way inc South Africa- 'the blacks will rape and kill all the whites etc if they are free'. Anyone with any experience of colonialism and the young who have studied it understand this with crystal clarity.

Yes, I gave him a book to read about antisemitism.

If the issue is young people not seeing why religions should have states, one should ask why it is the only Jewish one that they are fixated on?

Because it’s just one of those things that’s accepted until it causes a problem. But if they were going to start campaigning for secularism, it would be a bit weird for them to complain about other people’s Muslim countries before complaining about their own Christian one.

Is that the view of all young people that have strong feelings against the Israeli government

I know people of my age (50’s) who claim that Palestinians agreed with how the state of Israel came about they are absolutely adamant that this was an agreement with the people that they willing left their homes and livelihood

but many people my age also know that isn’t what happened

That has happened to some extent- the Manchester Arena bombing (appreciate death toll was lower but still a horrific attack with child victims). If Hashem Abedi had kidnapped people and hid amongst locals of this or some other country, whilst I think it would be seen as imperative to find and imprison him and save the hostages I do not think anyone would feel it justified brutally killing 1000s of children in a similar manner to those he had killed.

I would be surprised if most people couldn’t care less about the October attack, it was horrific. What I would not be surprised by is if many people do not agree that the October attack and the endeavour to find the attackers justifies killing 1000s of children.

Yes, but this view as you have expressed it does not express two sides to the issue, does it?

Oh and i see the passive aggressive spellers are out in force tonight

They think we should have modern secular states....? Why on earth aren't they busy protesting against Islamic countries if they feel so strongly about that issue?

Iv not read the article but was the poll before the hostages were taken and the conflict erupted?

the reason I’m asking is because I wonder if most answering would have felt that or even had a strong opinion about it before.

I know most young people I know didn’t have that strong of an opinion on either Russia/ukraine or Palestine/israel before current events had taken place. Although it’s difficult because obviously there weren’t many conversations as current events hadn’t happened yet.

"Ah, of course, living safely in Palestine. Presumably ruled by Hamas who in their founding document states that they are fighting for the Day of Judgement where Muslims will rise up to fight and kill the Jews. Sounds like a really likely solution"

Strawmanning hard here eh?

A small survey that asked leading questions to certain groups is not a good indicator.

What this is being used to do is discredit the people campaigning against the Israeli government's actions and this can be seen clearly from a lot of the comments here.

Many young people I know are hugely clued up about all this stuff, and know all about the Balfour declaration, the reasons it was made, and the history of the area. I've never met one that says Israel shouldn't exist.

Ah, of course, living safely in Palestine. Presumably ruled by Hamas who in their founding document states that they are fighting for the Day of Judgement where Muslims will rise up to fight and kill the Jews. Sounds like a really likely solution.

YABU, social media trends as well as clear turn outs at protests/sit-in show the youth are very much pro-palestine.

In your statment you say 'opinion has shifted slowly away from Israel' this is nonsense, social opinion has always been anti-Israel.