Israel is at the top of the list of countries Egyptians deem as hostile, while the top eight countries considered “friendly” are located in the Arab world, according to a public opinion survey by the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research (Baseera).
“Israel took first place with -88 points, with different categories of respondents showing the same reaction to Israel,” according to the poll.
Baseera based its assessment on an index ranging from -100 to 100 points, categorizing countries between very hostile and very friendly.
Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979, which ended a six-year war over Israel’s occupation of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, but public sentiments remained largely opposed to the agreement.
“The United States was second on the list of hostile nations, receiving -37 points, followed by Iran with -36 points, Turkey with -34 point, and Qatar with -31 points. Denmark, with a score of -11 points,” according to the survey.
The respondents listed Saudi Arabia as the most friendly with 88 points, followed by the United Arab Emirates (73) and Kuwait (68), said Baseera.
“China was the highest ranking non-Arab country, coming in ninth place with 41 points. Russia followed in tenth place with 40 points,” according to the poll.
Despite tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over the latter’s construction of a Nile River dam, Egyptians view Adis Ababa as a somewhat friendly nation, giving it 23 points.
The United Kingdom moved from the category of hostile nations to a friendly one in this year’s survey.
