Itongadol.- Almost half of Jewish Israelis believe that Syrian President Bashar Assad will make good on his threat to attack Israel if the US and its allies take military action against Syria, a poll by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University last week found.
Among Jewish Israelis, 46 percent said they believed he would carry out this threat, while a smaller 42 percent thought he would not. Among Arab Israelis, 40 percent said they believed Assad would attack Israel, while 47 percent he will not.
On the question of the impact of an American-led assault, 54 percent of Jewish Israelis believe that the status of the US as a key player in the Middle East would be strengthened, while 21 percent believe the US status will not be affected, and just 14 percent believe it will be diminished. Among Arab Israelis, however, the numbers are very different: Only 26 percent believe the US status would be strengthened by a strike on Syria, 20 percent thought it would remain unaffected, and 34 percent said it would be diminished.
The survey was conducted last on August 27 and 28, among 601 respondents constituting a representative sample of the Israeli adult population. The poll has a margin of error 4.5 percent.
US President Barack Obama said Saturday that while he believed his country had a case to strike Syria, he would nonetheless seek Congress\’ approval for such military action.
The Syrian regime and its allies have repeatedly warned that an American attack on its territory over the chemical weapons strike on the outskirts of Damascus on August 21 would have catastrophic results for the entire Middle East.
16/09/2024