Shifting Attitudes in the Arab World toward Israel

The latest issue of CPD Perspectives on Public Diplomacy is an article by CPD Research Fellow Lindsay Benstead.

"Shifting Attitudes in the Arab World Toward Israel: The Importance of Public Diplomacy" contextualizes Arab-Israeli and Israeli-Palestinian relations since 1948 by examining national-level Arab attitudes from 15 countries based on the Arab Barometer, the first cross-national survey conducted in the Arab world that asks individuals about their views toward foreign policy and spans over a decade (2006-2016).

"Arab citizens hold diverse views about the Arab-Israeli and Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and these views have shifted in unexpected ways," writes Benstead. “Rising Arab discontent does not mean that peace efforts would be fruitless. Public diplomacy is needed more than ever to understand and acknowledge the extent of Arab opposition to U.S. policies to more urgently seek opportunities for direct diplomacy and to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.”

For countries that might be open to U.S. development support, Benstead stresses that more listening sessions—a pillar of public diplomacy—are needed to enact effective action toward peace promotion.

Download "Shifting Attitudes in the Arab World Toward Israel: The Importance of Public Diplomacy" here.