Anti-Israeli mood rife in Ireland says new survey findings

22.2 percent of Irish would even deny citizenship to Israelis

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More than one in five Irish people would exclude Israelis from Irish citizenship, according to recent research on ethnic and religious attitudes in Ireland.

As a group, Israelis had one of the lowest favorable ratings among the Irish, ranking 44th out of 51 categories.

In the study "Pluralism and Diversity in Ireland," the author Father Father Micheál Mac Gréil, a Jesuit priest and sociologist, found that while 22.2% of Irish would stop Israelis from becoming naturalized citizens, 11.5% would deny the privilege from all Jews.

“There is a real danger that the public image of ‘Israeli’ can lead to an increase in anti-Semitism,” Mac Gréil told The Irish Catholic newspaper.

Prejudice against Jews was strongest in the 18-25 age group, with 53.6% of this group saying they would be willing to accept a Jewish person into their family, versus 60.7% of Irish people of all ages.

Only 47.9% of Irish would accept an Israeli into their family.

The Jewish population in the Republic of Ireland is less than 2,000 out of a total of 4.5 million, says the Jewish Journal.

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