The conflict between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah has characterized geopolitics during the year. This has also rubbed off on the Swedish domestic political debate.
The Social Democrats’ first political savage, Jamal El-Haj, resigned after criticism of his participation in a Palestinian conference and this autumn’s criticism of the Left Party’s actions linked to the Gaza war are two examples of events that can be directly linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
At the same time, large parts of the foreign policy debates have revolved around the Middle East. When Indikator Opinon asks voters about their view of Swedish parties’ policies on this issue, a clear majority, 71 percent, have no opinion. Of those who still have an opinion, the Moderates and the Social Democrats receive the most support with nine percent of respondents each.
Voters of the Left Party largely answer that the party they themselves vote for has the best policies connected to the Middle East. According to Per Oleskog Tryggvason at Indikator Opinion, this may indicate that these voters are significantly more involved in the issue than other voters.
– The Left Party is also a party that stands out when we ask the question of which party has a bad policy. Above all, it is then Tidö voters who think so. The red-green voters do not view the Left Party’s Middle East policy so negatively, he says.
The view of Israel and Hamas
When the respondents are asked about the actors involved in the conflict in the Middle East, more than half, 52 percent, answer that they view Israel negatively. 75 percent view Hamas negatively and 44 percent view the Palestinian Authority negatively.
Most positive about Israel are Christian Democratic voters, where 47 percent respond that they view the country positively. The Christian Democrats are the only party where more voters answer that they are positive compared to negative. Most critical of Israel are the voters of the left-wing party, where a full 87 percent answer that they are negative towards Israel.