A new Pew Research Center poll of Israelis [1] conducted before the current wave of terror shows a deeply riven society with anti-democratic tendencies on the rise.
The survey shows about half of Israeli Jews supporting the transfer of Arab citizens to other countries.
Over 5,500 individuals were asked in one-on-one interviews to what degree they agreed with the following statement: “Arabs should be expelled or transferred from Israel.”
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The result, among Jewish respondents was 21% “strongly agree” and 27 % “mostly agree.”
When the two groups were combined, almost half of Israeli Jews support—48%– the transfer of Arab citizens. But an almost identical figure—46%– oppose notion, with 29 % saying that they “don’t really agree” and 17 % responding they “don’t agree at all” with the expulsion of Arab citizens.
Across the political spectrum, Israeli leaders expressed alarm. President Reuven Rivlin said the poll reveals “a very dangerous situation,” expressing his dismay at the implicit threat to Israel’s democracy.
Lawmaker Yousef Jabareen, who chairs the Knesset Lobby for Jewish-Arab Coexistence, said that the results of the survey should keep awake at night anyone who cares about Jewish-Arab coexistence. “The transfer of citizens, for whatever reason, is a crime against humanity, and I am frightened to see that half of those polled support such a step,” he said.