JERUSALEM (EJP)--- A survey carried out by the Israeli office of a German political foundation has found that three quarters of Israelis would like to see Israel join the EU.

The study by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s Israel office and conducted by KEEVOON Research, Strategy & Communications, also revealed that Germany has a very favorable image among Israelis, with 67 percent seeing Germany in a positive light and the same number saying they would like to see a more dominant Germany within the EU.

The poll came just a few weeks after Germany took over the presidency of the European Union and promised to place the Middle East peace process high on the agenda. The Germans also placed emphasis on the importance of the EU partnership programme which promotes ties between the eU and non-member states such as Israel.
This is the first comprehensive poll that was sanctioned after the Quartet Peace Initiative that examined Israeli attitudes towards the EU and not EU attitudes towards Israel.

Deep bond

Dr. Lars Hänsel, Director of the KAS Israel office said: "The results show how deep the German-Israeli bond is and will help to bring Europe and Israel even closer. Germany is committed to Israel’s security having recently sent Peace-keeping forces to the shores off Lebanon to help protect Israel and subsidized the sale of three Dolphin class submarines to the Israeli Navy. This poll proves that Israelis want to strengthen the German-Israel ties, too".

Further results from the poll showed that Germany is one of the EU countries with the most positive image amongst Israelis.

Accordingly, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is one of the most favored in Israel (50 percent favorable as opposed to 9 percent unfavorable). Israelis also believe that Merkel’s election as the first woman Chancellor improves Germany’s image throughout the world (60 percent).

The poll also discovered the strong patriotic sentiments in Israel and showed that despite the fact that 77 percent of Israelis feel that Israel is not on the right track, only 11 percent would immigrate to Europe if given EU citizenship.

Regular visits

According to the survey 50 percent of Israelis have visited Europe in the past three years for business or pleasure with the most popular destinations being France, Italy, England, Spain and Germany.

The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung has been very active in promoting Israeli-German relations and educational causes in Israel ever since its foundation. KAS’s has been running projects in Israel through its office in Jerusalem for the past 27 years.

The foundation is dedicated to the legacy of the late German chancellor Konrad Adenauer who was the founder of the strong German-Israeli bond following the Second World War. He developed a special relationship with Israel and was particularly close with Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.

The survey was conducted between February 5-7, 2007.