The latest report from the Herzl Center for Israel Studies and the Peace Research Center Prague offers an in-depth analysis of the evolving attitudes of the Czech public and political elites towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Conducted in collaboration with IPSOS s.r.o., the research spans two waves of public opinion surveys in January 2023 and January 2024, as well as a survey of political elites at the turn of 2022-2023.
Key findings reveal a notable increase in the Czech public's interest in Israel-related news and a rise in support for recognizing Palestine as an independent state, alongside a distinct polarization in opinions regarding the historical and current responsibilities in the conflict.
The report highlights that approximately one-third of Czechs believe both nations share equal blame for the conflict's origins. However, there is a growing tendency to attribute more responsibility to Palestinians, with 21% of Czechs holding this view—an increase of 6 percentage points from 2023. Similarly, views on the conflict's continuation show significant division.
Additionally, the report confirms that Czech political elites (regardless of their party affiliation) are more often pro-Israeli in their attitudes than the average Czech population. The Czech society is, however, also traditionally more pro-Israeli, which can be seen with 37% Czechs sympathizing more with Israel after the attack on October. Moreover, 44% respondents agree with Israel’s actions in the conflict, while 42% approve of Israel’s demands.
The research involved contributions from Irena Kalhousová, Tereza Plíštilová, Sarah Komasová, Michal Smetana and Marek Vranka.
