Israel drops to 3rd in Saudi list of adversaries *congrats Israel*

[U8200]

Iran and ISIS beat Israel into 3rd place!

Survey: Saudis consider Iran their top enemy, not Israel

Majority of Saudis think their country should seek nuclear weapons if Iran acquires an atomic bomb; a quarter of respondents thinks Israel and Saudi should join forces against Iran.

An Israeli college has quietly conducted an opinion poll in Saudi Arabia, concluding that the Saudi public is far more concerned about the threats of Iran and the Islamic State group than Israel, and that the vast majority of Saudis support a decade-old peace offer to the Jewish state.

The survey conducted by the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya provides Israelis with a rare glimpse inside Saudi Arabia and may change Israeli perceptions about the desert kingdom. The two countries are longtime foes with no diplomatic relations.

The poll found that 53 percent of Saudis named Iran as their main adversary, while 22 percent said it is the Islamic State group and only 18 percent said Israel.

Photo: AP

The poll also showed that a majority of Saudis think their country should seek nuclear weapons if Iran acquires an atomic bomb. A whopping 85 percent also support the Saudi-led Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for peace with Israel in return for a full Israeli withdrawal to its pre-1967 borders.

The results indicate significant common ground between Saudi Arabia and Israel, whose prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been outspoken in his criticism of an emerging nuclear deal between Iran and global powers. Netanyahu, who believes Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon, says the deal will leave much of Iran's nuclear infrastructure intact. He has also claimed that unnamed Arab countries, presumably Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Gulf countries, share his concerns. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, insisting its atomic program is for purely peaceful purposes.

"What we think here in Israel about the Saudis is not exactly what they are," said Alex Mintz, who heads the IDC's Institute for Policy and Strategy and oversaw the survey. "There is a great identity of interests and threats and agendas ... some would even like to join forces with Israel."

The questioners told respondents that they worked for the IDC, though they did not say they or the school were Israeli. Mintz said few people questioned the source of the survey, and those who did raise questions did not make the connection to Israel. He said there were no unpleasant exchanges.

The institute, which last year carried out similar surveys of Iranians and Gazans, said it relied on information gathered from the Saudi Arabian directory and bureau of statistics to proportionally sample 13 regions of the country based on their populations. It said Arabic-speaking Israelis called a mixture of mobile phones and landlines and encountered a 22 percent response rate.

Mintz said the full results of the poll would be revealed next week at the IDC's 15th annual "Herzliya Conference," a gathering of Israel's military and political elite, but offered The Associated Press the data in advance.

Although Israel and Saudi Arabia have no official contact they have grown closer in recent years, mostly due to their common concern over Iran. A quarter of the poll's respondents said Israel and Saudi Arabia should join forces to fight Iran together.

Saudi Arabia was the driving force behind the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, offering Israel a comprehensive peace with dozens of Arab and Muslim countries in exchange for a withdrawal from all territories captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Netanyahu has said the initiative might be a starting point for discussions but that it is unacceptable as a take-it-or-leave-it offer.

Mintz said he hoped the Israeli government would seize on the new information to adjust its traditional policies.

"We assume that we know what people in Iran, Gaza and Saudi Arabia think, but guessing and actual empirical evidence is two different things. For example, nobody that I talked to thought that Saudis would say by a margin of 3-to-1 that Iran scared them more than Israel, nobody predicted that," he said.

"This is really a Sunni-Shiite divide and it has nothing to do with Israel and their focus has shifted. There is a commonality of interests between Saudi Arabia and Israel right now that the Israeli government should take advantage of and capitalize because it is unique in the history of the two states," he said.

The poll, conducted in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, surveyed 506 Saudis over the phone and had a margin of error of 5 percentage points.

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Now I know some Saudis on here might be embarrassed by this, but to me this shows a progressive attitude. It shows that there is scope for change and hope in the region. It shows that the "deeply conservative Saudi Arabia" actually can be flexible and have modern thinking and adjust to new realities.

Also impressed with 85% wanting peace if the Isra/Pal situation is sorted.

 

[Falcon29]

Of course, Iran has been historical enemy with many incidents in past decades. Nobody is surprised. And neither are we surprised that they support two state solution with full withdrawal to 67 borders. All Arabs do, the funny thing is that Israel rejected the peace initiative. So you think it's good Arabs want peace. Why don't you start critiquing your own people? You are the people who oppose what 85% of Saudis support in this poll.

And what's with the desperate attempts to imply that Israel and Saudi Arabia are partners/allies? They aren't, Saudi Arabia is threatened by Iran in it's own way. It has no relation to Israel. It's mostly theological issues and ethnic historical rivarly. Saudi Arabians don't care or think about Israel. Their struggle with Iran is one of their own. If Israel publishes such articles in desperate attempt to find allies in Arab world it should know that full and open relations will happen if Israel accepts the peace initiative. You can't just oppose the deal and expect to get best of both worlds.

 

[U8200]

The peace proposal was rejected because of the demand for all 'refugees' to return. Which first of all is impossible because Israel is not big enough and secondly would end Israel as a Jewish state.

So obviously the proposal was rejected.

If the Saudis want to come back with that bit edited out, then we can start talking.

 

[Falcon29]

No, it was rejected because the Israeli government and people want to annex the West Bank. There was no such demand for refugees. There was proposal for negotiating agreed upon deal for refugees.

Stop making excuses, don't publish such threads if your people reject a solution. If you want open relations with Arab world you simply agree to the initiative. There will be no such thing as hoping to develop relations while annexing West Bank. Not because the government's oppose your occupation, they actually don't. But because you're irrelevant to their other matters in region and they don't need you. Best thing is for Israelis to abandon their religiois claim every inch of Palestinian territory and end their ongoing policy. Arabs aren't needed, you are trying to get them to pressure Palestinians to make concessions which won't happen.

They did it with Arafat, we won't allow it to happen again. Arafat was good leader who was heavily pressured into surrendering our rights. Hamas, Jihad and PFLP will not allow it again. The very minimum is conplete withdrawal to 67 borders and east jeruslaem as our capital. As UN resolution states. You illegals are lucky to have half of our country.

 

[U8200]

You're simply wrong. The peace initiative contained the return of 'refugees' as a must.

If Israel wanted to annex the whole of the WB, they've had 48 years to do so and haven't.

Arafat was a despicable, murderous terrorist who as documents show, was waging a terrorist war against Israeli civilians whilst pretending he was engaging in peace talks. A repugnant creature.

 

[Falcon29]

You're simply wrong. The peace initiative contained the return of 'refugees' as a must.

If Israel wanted to annex the whole of the WB, they've had 48 years to do so and haven't.

Arafat was a despicable, murderous terrorist who as documents show, was waging a terrorist war against Israeli civilians whilst pretending he was engaging in peace talks. A repugnant creature.

Of course a certain amount of refugees will return. The ones in Arab world should, the ones in West should remain there.

 

[Jaanbaz]

Arab vs Persia, it always has been and will remain until one of them is victorious or both destroy each other. Nonetheless win win for Israel.

 

[AugenBlick]

Yey for Israel.

 

[Superboy]

Israel is far from Saudi Arabia. Why would Saudi Arabia care about Israel?

Arab vs Persia, it always has been and will remain until one of them is victorious or both destroy each other. Nonetheless win win for Israel.

Iraq is Arab however Iraq is Shia so Iraq is Iran's most powerful Arab ally.

 

[Jaanbaz]

Iraq is Arab however Iraq is Shia so Iraq is Iran's most powerful Arab ally.

Iraq is nothing but a battle ground for Saudi Arabia and Iran.

 

[24 Hours]

Bad news for Iran then.

 

[U8200]

Bad news for Iran then.

To be hated more than Jews? it's devastating.

 

[Archdemon]

Of course a certain amount of refugees will return. The ones in Arab world should, the ones in West should remain there.

Not going to happen. Two state solution is a two state solution, Israel will not be transformed into another Arab state.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Israel is far from Saudi Arabia. Why would Saudi Arabia care about Israel?




Iraq is Arab however Iraq is Shia so Iraq is Iran's most powerful Arab ally.

Are you dumb?

KSA and Israel are practically neighbors. You can see Israel with the barren eye from the Gulf of Aqaba (Haql). Vice versa (Eilat) too.





Very far indeed.

Anyway no surprise.

I always said that once the Palestinian question has been solved there is no need to have any animosity with Israel. Jews and Arabs are neighbors and cousins anyway that largely had cordial ties throughout history until the recent era. The reason for that recent hostility is obvious.

 

[C130]

Israel is far from Saudi Arabia. Why would Saudi Arabia care about Israel?




Iraq is Arab however Iraq is Shia so Iraq is Iran's most powerful Arab ally.

why would black people care about another black person??? it's simple they are Muslim and Muslims gotta look out for others Muslims and KSA is the spiritual home of Islam. if they did nothing even if it's labeling Israel as a threat and not recongizing the Jewish State they would lose face.


it's pretty obvious why KSA and the GCC as a whole would be wary of Iran and consider them the top enemy.

Are you dumb?

KSA and Israel are practically neighbors. You can see Israel with the barren eye from the Gulf of Aqaba (Haql). Vice versa (Eilat) too.





Very far indeed.

Anyway no surprise.

I always said that once the Palestinian question has been solved there is no need to have any animosity with Israel. Jews and Arabs are neighbors and cousins anyway that largely had cordial ties throughout history until the recent era. The reason for that recent hostility is obvious.

mecca and riyadh is long ways away.