Israel calls Iran the 'threat'

2003-11-07 13:19

Jerusalem - Iran is the greatest threat to the world, according to an Israeli poll published on Friday in response to an EU survey which was released earlier this week and awarded the title of most dangerous country to the Jewish state.

The opinion poll carried by the top-selling Yediot Aharonot said 83% of Israelis considered the Islamic Republic of Iran to be a threat to world peace.

Israel's northern neighbour Syria came second in the ranking, with 73% of those polled giving a positive answer to the same question.

North Korea was third with 60% and Israel was 12th, with 21% of Israelis judging that their own country as a threat to world peace.

The poll came four days after a survey carried out by the European Union and asking the same question revealed that 59% of Europeans see Israel as a threat to world peace - ahead of Iran, North Korea and the United States.

The poll caused a stir in Israel and sparked accusations of rising anti-Semitism in Europe.

- AFP