London's Big Ben tourist attraction
Photo: AP
Poll: 'Britain, Germany - Israel's best friends'
Poll conducted by British embassy in Israel finds 34 percent of Israelis think UK is Israel's closest European friend. 18 percent of Israelis say no European states are friends
Some 34 percent of Israelis believe Britain is the most friendly European country to Israel, a new poll conducted by the British embassy in Israel has found.
Germany reached second place, with 19 percent of Israelis saying it is the most friendly among European states.
The poll was conducted by the Teleseker Institute, and 625 Israelis took part.
18 percent of Israelis, on the other hand, said no European country was a friend to Israel.
The poll found that 63 percent of Israelis think that British Prime Minister Tony Blair is a true friend of Israel.
The pollsters also asked respondents what was the first thing they saw when they read the word "Britain."
24 percent said the British royal family, castles, and servants. 15 percent cited soccer games, 12 percent listed tourist sites in England such as the Big Ben, and 10 percent of those asked spoke of the British mandate and the War of Independence in 1948.
