Israel, Jerusalem, 3 April / corr Trend D.Khatinoglu, R.Abdullayev / The negative image of Iran and Israel at an international level is a result of 'ideological governments' in both countries. " Iran and Israel shaped their negative image in the world community due to ideological views, Isa Saharkhiz, an Iranian expert, told Trend .
The results of inquiry of the air defense forces in 34 countries showed that Iran and Israel enjoy a very negative image worldwide. The inquiry held in the different world countries with the participation of 17,000 respondents characterized Germany as a country with the most positive image whilst Iran produced the most negative image.
"The Governments of Iran and Israel essentially adhere to religious ideology," Saharkhiz said in a telephone discussion from Tehran on 3 April. The international community considers the ideology as a hindrance for democracy. "The statement by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejat who called Holocaust tragedy as 'legend' and his populist calls to the 'third' countries on the necessity of erasing Israel from the world map considerably damaged the country's image in the international level and this is a bare fact," Iranian political experts stressed.
In accordance with the inquiry, the U.S. image has changed positively as compared to the last year, whereas the most continue condemning the US aggressive policy. Sahakhiz explains positive changes for the United States with period past from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. "The United States attacked on these countries without the approval of the world community and first it caused negative attitudes and many protests. However, at present the United States prefers to step in line with the opinion of the world community and it was the major reason for such positive change of Washington's image," the expert said.
Meanwhile, Mordekhay Kedar, an Israeli political expert, said that such results of the inquiry held by the air defense forces derive from the impact of the world press, which writes about Iran and Israel from a negative viewpoint. "Viewing from the world prism, Iran is the biggest threat in the Near East, supports terrorism in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territory, has great nuclear ambitions and continues to destabilize slim democracies. This all negatively affect Iran's image, an expert of the Strategic Research Center begin-Sadat at the Bar-Ilan University in Tel-Aviv told Trend .
The expert regrets that the negative notion about Israel, first of all, is linked with the conflict with the Palestinians and military blockage of Gaza, whilst the public do not delve deeply into essence of the conflict. "No one states that Israel was obliged to impose a blockade due to the continuing missile attacks on the south of Israel by the pro-Iranian regime of Ismayil Khanin," the expert concluded.