Three years after October 7, the 2026 Hebrew University-European Forum Barometer reveals a significant shift in how Israelis view themselves, their security, and their relationship with Europe. Jewish Israelis report a strengthened sense of Israeli identity, while many Israelis increasingly see the country as more Middle Eastern than European. The survey also finds that Israelis overwhelmingly view Israel as safer for Jews than Europe, even as European respondents are far more divided. At the same time, Israelis express growing skepticism toward the European Union, continue to see Germany and Hungary as among Israel’s closest friends in Europe, and identify France and Spain as the countries they perceive as most antisemitic.
Three years after the October 7 attacks, a new Hebrew University-European Forum Barometer reveals how profoundly Israelis are reassessing questions of identity, safety, and their relationship with Europe.
The 2026 survey, led by Prof. Gisela Dachs of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, examines mutual perceptions between Israel and four European countries: Germany, France, Great Britain and Poland. The findings point to a strengthened sense of Israeli identity among Jewish Israelis, a widening perception gap between Israelis and Europeans on Jewish safety, and a growing Israeli tendency to view the country as more Middle Eastern than European.
Among Jewish Israelis, the events of the past three years, including the October 7 war and the war with Iran, appear to have reinforced Israeli identity. By contrast, Arab Israeli respondents were more likely to say that their sense of Israeli identity had weakened.
The survey also finds a striking divide over Jewish safety. A substantial majority of Israelis said Israel is safer for Jews than Europe, while European respondents were far more divided. Poland stood out among the European countries surveyed, with the highest share of respondents, 35 percent, viewing Israel as the safer option for Jews.
At the same time, Israelis appear to be taking greater distance from Europe. 42% of Israeli respondents described Israel as more like a Middle Eastern country, compared with 18% who described it as more like a European country. Among Arab respondents, the share who see Israel as Middle Eastern has more than tripled compared with 2022.
Israeli views of the European Union have also become more skeptical. Compared with 2024, more Israeli respondents disagreed with the statement that “the EU is, in general, a success,” with disagreement particularly high among Jewish Israelis.
The Barometer also sheds light on Israeli attitudes toward Europe’s far right. As in 2024, a large share of Jewish Israeli respondents said Israel should maintain ties with far-right parties in Europe if those parties support Israel. In Germany, fewer respondents than in 2024 viewed the rise of the AfD as a dangerous development, with many saying it is no more dangerous than similar developments in other European countries.
When asked which European countries they consider friends of Israel, Israeli respondents ranked Germany first, followed by Hungary. The Netherlands, by contrast, has fallen sharply in Israeli perceptions and is now among the countries seen as least friendly to Israel. Asked which countries they perceive as most antisemitic, Israeli respondents pointed most often to France and Spain.
The survey also revisits one of the Barometer’s long-running questions: whether today’s Germany is a “different Germany” compared with the period before 1945. Among Jewish Israelis, 67% said yes in 2026, down from 75% in 2024. Older Jewish respondents were more likely than younger respondents to hold this view.
“The Barometer captures a moment of profound reassessment,” said Prof. Gisela Dachs . “Three years after October 7, Israelis are not only rethinking questions of security and identity, but also their relationship to Europe and the political forces shaping it.”
The full data is available on the Hebrew University-European Forum Barometer website: https://hu-ef-barometer.huji.ac.il/
Methodology: The 2026 HU-EF Barometer is based on online surveys conducted by Kantar in Germany, Great Britain, France and Poland, alongside a benchmark survey conducted in Israel. Each European country included a representative sample of 1,000 participants. The Israeli sample included 1,003 respondents: 502 from the general sector, 250 Arab respondents and 251 Orthodox Jewish respondents. Fieldwork in Germany, Great Britain, France and Poland was conducted in June-July 2026. Fieldwork in Israel was conducted in May 2026. The questionnaire length was approximately eight minutes. The sampling error is 3.1 percent per total market sample.
Survey
People