How many Israelis believe that Arabs and Jews can live together?

Findings from a comprehensive poll conducted by the "Israeli Congress" research group reveal that mistrust and hostility between Jews and Arabs in Israel have increased in the past year.

 FOOT TRAFFIC in Mamilla Mall: Is the city dominated by haredim and Arabs? (photo credit: ABIR SULTAN/FLASH90)
FOOT TRAFFIC in Mamilla Mall: Is the city dominated by haredim and Arabs?
(photo credit: ABIR SULTAN/FLASH90)

A year after Operation Guardian of the Walls and the riots in the streets of mixed cities, it seems that the Jewish-Arab rift is only escalating. Findings from a comprehensive poll conducted by the "Israeli Congress," which studies Israeli society, accompanied by senior researchers from Bar-Ilan University, reveal that mistrust and hostility between Jews and Arabs in Israel have increased in the past year.

The poll, conducted among a sample of 1,140 Israelis under the academic guidance of Dr. Manel Tutari-Jubran of the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University, found that 49% of Jews and 43% of Arabs do not believe that Jews and Arabs can live together in mixed cities.

Some 55% of the Arabs testified that the incidents of violence in mixed cities changed their position regarding living together.

The poll revealed that mistrust between populations is also reflected in routine day-to-day activities. Some 34% of Jews and 55% of Arabs said that they had changed their lifestyle in some way since the events in those cities. 

In addition, 20% of Jews said that they fear a random encounter on the street with an Arab, 22% feel uncomfortable receiving medical treatment from an Arab citizen, 42% would not purchase a car from an Arab, and almost two-thirds (65%) rule out selling land or an apartment to an Arab citizen for a variety of reasons.

At the same time, about 40% of Arabs feel hostility from public transportation, places of entertainment and shopping, and government offices. About 38% of them are even afraid to express their position in public and 48% in the workplace.

Some 35% of respondents said they were satisfied with the composition of the government while 18% said they were not, mainly because of the entry of an Arab-Muslim party into the coalition.

When asked whether the composition of the government will affect the national rift between Jews and Arabs, 40% of the respondents believe that it will reduce the rift, while 61% of right-wing voters believe that it will adversely affect and deepen it.

But there are also optimistic results: 77% of Arabs and 72% of Jews think that meetings between the sectors will reduce tensions – and 48% of Jews and 42% of Arabs would take part in joint activities to increase familiarity between the sectors.

About 40% of Arabs think it is true that Arabs will serve in the army (32% for those who are interested, 8% as compulsory service), and 66% think the same about national-civilian service.


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"The events of May 2021 left a deep imprint on the Arab and Jewish public, and increased the fears and hostility between the populations even more in the cities involved," Israeli Congress Director-General Dr. Adv. Gilad Weiner said. "At the same time, we recognize a deep willingness to mend the rifts from those events, to learn about each other and to increase trust between the parties."