Number of people who back boycotts of Israel drops

Support for boycotts of Israel is slipping, according to a new poll published this week.

The percentage of Brits who say they boycott Israeli goods and produce fell from 12 percent to 11 percent this year, after results from the annual BICOM/Populus survey of more than 2,000 people. 

“Support for Israel boycotts is at its lowest level since we started measuring it in 2014,” said James Sorene, chief executive of UK Israel think tank BICOM.

“Young people also appear to be changing their mind about Israel, with those aged 18 to 24 opposing boycotts of Israel in much larger numbers than ever before.”

The question asked whether  people agreed with the statement: “I don’t boycott Israel and find it difficult to understand how others do given everything else that is going on in the world”. This year 48 percent agreed, while last year 51 percent did.

Sorene said the survey “presents a fascinating picture of how Israel is perceived in
the UK”.