Muddle East: Brits confused over Israel-Palestine

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is among the issues which most baffle British adults, a new study reveals.

The Middle East conflict is among the most confusing when it comes to current affairs that Britons get misunderstand.

Carried out for children’s magazine The Week Junior, the study claims some are so embarrassed at being flummoxed by foreign policy or stumped by the Syrian conflict that they tell fibs to hide their shame, according to researchers.

The survey of 2,000 adults found more than half admit to bluffing over their knowledge, while four in 10 try to steer conversations away from hot topics to avoid being left red-faced.

Top of the list of topics misunderstood by British adults were Russian foreign policy and International finance markets, before Israel-Palestine. Following these were the Syrian war, ISIS, education reforms, fracking, Brexit, cyber attacks and US election.

The poll found young adults aged 18 to 25 performed worse than older adults who were questioned, highlighting a need for engagement in current affairs from an early age.