יהודים וערבים. Jews and Arabs. Israel A Conditional Partnership. Abstract

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1 Abstract Jews and Arabs יהודים וערבים A Conditional Partnership Israel 2017 Tamar Hermann Chanan Cohen / Fadi Omar / Ella Heller / Tzipy Lazar-Shoef

2 2 3 Introduction Self-Definition Sense of Belonging to Israeli Society The Arab citizens of Israel represent a little over 20% of the state's overall population. That 20% is comprised of a majority of Muslims (83.5%), Christians (8.9%), and Druze (7.6%). The complex relationship between Jews and Arabs in the State of Israel exists on three levels state, societal and interpersonal - that do not necessarily overlap. On the one hand, the study shows that definite, substantial disagreements exist between Jews and Arabs on the state level. On the other hand, relations on the societal and, to an even greater extent, personal levels are less tense. In certain areas of life, the situation is actually quite positive. Jews Arabs Israeli identity Jewish identity Religious identity Ethnic identity As a rule, those who self-identify primarily as Jews tend to express more discriminatory and exclusionary opinions regarding Arabs than those who self-identify as Israeli. Arab identity Religious identity * Palestinian identity Israeli identity 38% 39% 29% 23.5% 34% 14% 10% 4% Palestinian as a primary identity is more common among Muslims, young educated people, and those who have first-degree relatives living in the territories. The minority that self-identifies as Palestinian tends to express more critical opinions of the State of Israel, Jews and Israelis. In addition, they are more skeptical regarding the possibility of their being able to integrate into Israeli society. 68% believe that it is not possible to feel part of the Palestinian people and still be a loyal citizen of the State of Israel. Only on the Jewish left wing is there a majority that sees such a possibility as feasible 63% believe that Arabs feel that they are not part of Israeli society 69% believe that Jews do not see them as part of Israeli society 54% feel part of Israeli society *Muslim, Christian, Druze

3 4 5 The Relationship between Jews and Arabs Politics 51% 42% believe that the quality of relations between Jews and Arabs is so-so 32% 48% 30% Good 27% Bad 42% So-so 50% of Christians believe that Arab members of Knesset do a good job of representing Israel s Arab population 35% 24% of Druze 62% of Muslims 16% are willing to include Arabs in making decisions on matters of peace and security 24% are willing to include Arabs in making decisions on matters of governance and the economy 58% believe that relations between Jews and Arabs are worse than they were in the State of Israel s early years think that Arabs should be given fair and equal treatment in allocating budgets to residential communities 52% believe that it would be better for Jews and Arabs to live separately so that the Jews can preserve their Jewish identity 77% do not want to live separately 33% 71% would like the state to include Arab professionals in the decision making processes of public agencies that affect the public as a whole are opposed to including Arab parties in the government and appointing Arab ministers

4 6 7 A National Home Relations in Society 67% 58% 69% 74% answered that the State of Israel has no right to be defined as the national home of the Jewish people think that those who are unwilling to declare that Israel is the national home of the Jewish people should lose the right to vote report that they were employed in the past or are currently employed in workplaces where Jews and Arabs work together Of them: 89.5% 95% 67% of the Jews 45% of the Arabs define the relationship between the employees of both nationalities as good or very good think that Israel acts in a democratic manner toward Arab citizens as well 64% 90% believe that the state should implement a comprehensive plan to reduce the disparities between Arab and Jewish citizens

5 8 9 Relations in Society Percentage of Arab respondents who believe this about Jews Percentage of Jewish respondents who believe this about Arabs 58.5% try to avoid entering Arab residential communities 69% can hold a fluent conversation in Hebrew 16% report that they avoid entering Jewish residential communities 6% can hold a fluent conversation in Arabic They stay away from those who do not belong to their own group They are generous They are honest They hold human life sacred They are modern They are violent 82% 53.5% 40% 49% 44% 44% 51% 50.5% 38.5% 25.5% 23.5%

6 10 11 Who Has a Stronger Connection to the Land? Percentage of Jewish respondents Percentage of Arab respondents 70% 27% Both have an equally strong connection to the land 44.5% 27% are in favor of obligatory civilian national service for all citizens who are exempt from army service Jews have a stronger connection Arabs have a stronger connection 47% 7% 4% Do not know/ Refuse to answer 3% 1.5% Should Arabs be allowed to buy land in the State of Israel? (Jewish respondents' answers, below) Yes, anywhere in Israel 29% Only in Arab neighborhoods and communities 41% Not at all 25% Do not know 5% A Strong Connection, by Political Affiliation, Jews Left-wing 13% Right-wing 34.5% Center 'by political affiliation, Jews' should be the same font size as 'A Strong Connection'

7 The Israel Democracy Institute is an independent, non-partisan think-anddo tank that operates in Israel s public sector in the fields of governance, the economy, and society. Its goals are to strengthen Israel s ethical and institutional infrastructure as a Jewish and democratic state, improve the functioning of governmental and economic structures, find ways to address security challenges while preserving democratic values, and nurture partnership and a common denominator in Israel s multi-faceted society. A Limited Partnership is a periodic study that examines the relationship between Jews and Arabs in Israel. In 2017, we chose to examine this relationship on three levels - state, societal, and interpersonal. Among the questions we asked were ones about personal national identity, views on ownership of the land, the state s fairness toward the indigenous Arab minority group, willingness to share resources and include the other in decision-making processes, and stereotypes each group has about the other. The Arab-Jewish Relations Program seeks to promote multi-faceted civic partnership between Jews and Arabs based primarily upon the principle of equality. The purpose of its studies is to locate obstacles to equal partnership of this kind and identify factors that will nurture and promote it. The Guttman Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research was established in its current form in 1998, when the Guttman Institute for Practical Social Research moved to the Israel Democracy Institute. The original institute was founded in 1949 by Professor Eliyahu (Louis) Guttman as a pioneering center for the research of public opinion and the promotion of a methodological approach to social studies. The goal of the Guttman Center is to use data from its databases and public-opinion polls to enrich public discourse on issues of public policy. This book is the product of collaboration between the Arab-Jewish Relations Program and the Guttman Center for Policy Research. to order the complete book: orders@idi.org.il