A new poll from the Washington Institute found that although more members of the Gulf region disapprove of the US-brokered Abraham Accords than before, there are growing sentiments toward allowing informal contact with Israelis.
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In countries where the Abraham Accords were initially unpopular, those attitudes have hardened. For example, those who see the accords as "very negative" in Lebanon increased from 41% in November 2020 to 66% in March 2022
Of the Arab populations interviewed, the least likely to express a negative viewpoint of the Abraham Accords were the Palestinians. When asked in June 2022, almost half (48%) of those living in east Jerusalem saw the Abraham Accords in at least a somewhat positive light.
Only 39% of Gazans expressed a negative opinion of the Abraham Accords.
While more than two-thirds of citizens in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE view the Abraham Accords unfavorably, the idea of ties with Israelis is becoming increasingly popular in Gulf countries. Forty percent of Saudis now agree that informal business or sports ties with Israelis should be allowed.
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Allowing such ties with Israelis remained at 85% in Egypt and 87% in Jordan, despite longstanding official relations. A resounding 94% of Kuwaitis and 93% of Lebanese surveyed disagreed with the idea of ties with Israelis.
However, a majority of Palestinians express openness to some form of contact with Israelis with 60% of those in the West Bank, 62% of Gazans and 84% of those in east Jerusalem agreeing that Palestinians should engage in "direct personal contacts and dialogue with Israelis, in order to help the Israeli peace camp advocate a just solution" to the conflict.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
