The Image of the Palestinians in Egypt, 1982-85

It is not easy to discern the image of the Palestinian in Egyptian public opinion. Aside from the fact that few surveys exist-indeed, only two extremely limited studies-the very concept of public opinion in a country such as Egypt is the subject of considerable disagreement among researchers, both for scientific and political reasons.

In these circumstances, we have elected to analyze the parameters that may influence the formation of this image: interaction at a social level; the value system, education, and received ideas; the dominant conceptions of the Arab-Zionist conflict; the status of Egyptian-Palestinian political relations; the positions of the Egyptian political parties concerning the Palestinian cause; and the image conveyed by the mass media. It will be noted that these parameters are not of the same nature, the first three being relatively stable, the others more fluid. It must also be noted here that the image of the Palestinian cannot be analyzed outside the context of the Arab-Zionist conflict, of which the Palestinian cause is the core and to which Egypt is a party, whatever one may think of its effective participation

Karem Yehia is an Egyptian journalist. This is an abridged version of an article which first appeared in the Institute for Palestine Studies' French language quarterly, Revue d'etudes Palestiniennes, no. 19 (Spring 1986).