A recent poll published in the United Arab Emirates over the weekend shows that there is growing support for establishing ties with Israel in some Arab countries.
The poll, conducted by US-based Zogby Analytics, has found that in four out of five Arab states and entities there is majority support for normalization with Israel and that the driving force behind this shift is a desire to stabilize the political and military situation in the Middle East.
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According to Sky News Arabia, the poll included 3,600 Arab respondents living in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority, and was supervised by James Zogby, founder and president of the Arab-American Institute.
Sky News Arabia was the only media outlet reporting on the results of the survey.
According to the survey, 42% of Egyptians, along with 41% of Jordanians, 56% of the residents of the UAE, and 41% of Saudis support the normalization agreements between Israel and the Arab world, citing primarily regional stability and economic prosperity.
The poll said that 69% of Palestinians opposed the normalization process.
Despite the encouraging data, a recent study by the Strategic Affairs Ministry found that overall, Arab social media users were less enthused about the Abraham Accords than the poll may suggest.
The ministry's data suggests that 90% of all social media discourse on the recent rapprochement between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain is negative.
The report shows that between August and September, 95% of social media posts commenting on the issue slammed the UAE, with 45% of the posts calling the agreement a "betrayal."
Other allegations against the UAW focused on the ban on signing agreements with the "Zionists" (27%), Abu Dhabi's "hypocrisy," and its "capitulation" to the US (5%).
But not all was negative: 61% of the posts favoring the deal cited security benefits, 33% noted economic potential, and 6% said the accords simply made an existing situation official.
Strategic Affairs Minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen said, "Social media is a major platform for shaping and influencing public opinion.
"The analysis of the discourse on Arabic social media with respect to the recent normalization agreements signed with the Gulf states attests to an organized attempt to create negative discourse by those who oppose the peace process.
"Israel maintains that that only dialogue and partnerships, not boycotts, can promote peace with our neighbors."
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