Gary Fitleberg, January 4, 2005

British newspaper readers ranked Israel as the country least deserving of international respect.

The Jewish state came in among the bottom five of two dozen countries ranked according to various standards of desirability in Tuesday's survey in the Daily Telegraph. But asked which foreign countries had the least friendly citizens, the poll's 2,000-odd respondents cited the United States, Egypt and Russia ahead of Israel. Israel also came fifth in the criterion of "least beautiful country," perhaps an indication of the impact of broadcast images of the intifada.

British Jews long have complained that Israel's diplomats in London are not equipped to counter anti-Zionist messages in the national media.

Ironically, the British first voted in favor of a Jewish Homeland to include all of the British Mandate of Palestine under the Balfour Declaration but later reneged on its promise by giving a gift and political concession to the Arabs creating an Arab "Palestine" in the artificial and created "Hashemite Kingdom" of Jordan, formerly Transjordan. The British also were guilty of "aiding and abetting" the Arabs in the 1929 massacre of Jews living in their "Holy Land" or "Promised Land" given as a gift from G-d to the Children of Israel according to the Bible.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2005 Gary Fitleberg