Three years after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks in Israel, a new survey conducted by the Hebrew University-European Forum reveals a notable shift in Israeli attitudes toward identity, security, and relations with Europe. The 2026 barometer, led by Prof. Gisela Dachs of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's DAAD Center for German Studies, shows that Jewish Israelis report a stronger sense of Israeli identity and increasingly view Israel as a Middle Eastern rather than a European country.
The survey, which builds on earlier studies released in 2022 and 2024, also highlights a widening perception gap between Israelis and Europeans regarding Jewish safety. A majority of Israelis perceive Israel as safer for Jews compared to Europe, while European respondents are more divided on the issue. Among the European countries surveyed—Germany, France, Great Britain, and Poland—Poland had the highest share of respondents who viewed Israel as the safer option for Jews.
Israeli respondents displayed growing skepticism toward the European Union, with fewer Israelis now considering the EU a success, a sharp contrast to earlier years when a majority viewed it favorably for its role in economic integration and cooperation. Despite this, Germany and Hungary remain the European countries Israelis identify as their closest friends, while France and Spain are perceived as the most antisemitic.
The barometer found that 42% of Israelis regard Israel as a Middle Eastern country, compared with only 18% who view it as more European. The percentage of Arab Israelis who see Israel as Middle Eastern has more than tripled since 2022, coinciding with a weakening sense of Israeli identity among this group, according to the survey. The ongoing conflict and broader regional tensions appear to have reinforced Israeli identity among the Jewish population but diminished it among Arab Israelis.
The study also explored Israeli attitudes toward far-right political forces in Europe. While concern about Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has decreased—from 55% perceiving it as dangerous in 2024 to 47% in 2026—this shift is largely attributed to Arab Israeli respondents, who increasingly see the party as less threatening. Jewish Israeli respondents remain more cautious about ties with far-right groups, although many support maintaining relations when these parties express support for Israel.
The survey exposes a significant change in European public opinion as well, particularly in Poland, where attitudes toward Israel have hardened substantially since 2024. The share of Polish respondents adopting a pro-Palestinian stance has doubled, while support for Israel has declined. Additionally, opposition to Israeli visits to Holocaust memorial sites in Poland has increased amid these shifting views. Levels of personal contact with Israelis or Jews remain relatively low in some countries, with notable percentages of respondents in Poland, France, Germany, and Great Britain reporting having never met a Jew or Israeli.
Regarding historical reconciliation, the survey noted a decline in the number of Jewish Israelis who consider today’s Germany as fundamentally “different” from its pre-1945 past—67% in 2026 versus 75% in 2024—with older respondents more likely to hold this view. The research did not specifically include Holocaust survivors or their descendants.
Fieldwork for the survey was conducted in May 2026 in Israel among a sample of 1,003 respondents, including general Jewish, Arab, and Orthodox Jewish populations, and in June-July 2026 in the European countries, with approximately 1,000 respondents each. The study highlights a complex and evolving reassessment by Israelis of their national identity, sense of security, and diplomatic relations with Europe in the wake of recent conflict and geopolitical developments.