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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Yisrael Hayom poll: 78% Israeli Jews view Turkey as Enemy, 71% oppose Inte'l inquiry

78 percent of Jewish Israelis now view Turkey, once Israel's only Muslim ally in the Middle East, as an enemy nation, according to a poll published on Thursday.

The sharp switch in public attitude toward Turkey comes in the wake of a May 31 raid by Israeli commandos on an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, which left eight Turkish activists and one Turkish American dead.

The poll, published in the pro-government Yisrael Hayom daily, asked participants: "Do you believe that in light of recent events Turkey has become an enemy state?"

It said 78 percent of those surveyed answered yes, while 22 percent said no.

The poll said that only 13 percent of Jewish Israelis favor an international commission, while 71 percent prefer an internal Israeli inquiry.

The poll by the New Wave Research group surveyed 561 people and had a margin of error of 4 percent. It did not take into account the views of Israel's Arab minority, which makes up about 1.3 million of Israel's 7.4 million citizens.

The poll also indicated that 91 percent of Jewish Israelis believed Israel should stop future flotillas trying to breach its Gaza blockade. Five percent were opposed and 4 percent had no answer.

When it comes to the public's satisfaction of PM Netanyahu's performance, the nation is divided: 45% are satisfied with Netanyahu's job performance, while 44% are dissatisfied with his job performance. Defense Minister's Ehud barak receives a lower grade, only 35% are satisfied and 53% are dissatisfied.