I read an article by Andrew Fox on Tuesday, and understood immediately how important it was. Not his piece (although it’s excellent, as always) as much as what he reports. The highly regarded Pew Foundation conducted a poll in recent months in 36 countries and surveyed a large and diverse demographic. The results are deeply concerning. Even in the United States - where Israel has long been a unifying, bipartisan “issue (although I am well aware that has been eroding for some time now) - the numbers are worse than one would expect. I’m not sure how anyone assesses “victory”, but looking around today I would suggest that the reality on the ground in the region is bleak. Hamas is still standing. Hezbollah is still standing. Iran remains a force to be reckoned with. Is that what “total victory” looks like? There were many people who celebrated October 7 but there were, I believe, still more who understood the barbarism of Hamas for what it was and is. But in the interim, something has changed. The ongoing wars and extreme allegations made against Israel have clearly influenced how people view Israel. Israel has absolutely botched the war for the hearts and minds of the world. And that is reflected in the Pew Poll results, which Andrew Fox and I discuss. It’s a short, pithy exchange about a very grave challenge facing Israel, to which no one seems to be paying careful attention. I know - I keep on delivering such uplifting content… there is a silver lining… but you have to listen to the end.
Below are links to the Pew Poll and summary, Andrew Fox’s article and a third article referred to in our chat by Mr. Fox.
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Andrew Fox is a former British Army Major and frontline conflict researcher specialising in modern warfare. A former senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he is now a senior associate fellow at several international think tanks and a regular media commentator on global conflicts.
He writes the Fox on War Substack and co-hosts The Brink podcast, bringing field reporting and strategic analysis from conflicts including Gaza and Ukraine.
