Poll: Three Quarters of Israel’s Arab Citizens Believe Jews Have ‘No Right’ to the Land

An overwhelming majority of Arab Israelis — 75 percent — believe Jews have no right to sovereignty in the land of Israel, a poll published Tuesday found.

However, when asked their opinion in the case of war between Israel and Arab states, the answers were more balanced: 23 percent of respondents said they would support countries attacking Israel, compared with 26 percent who said they would back the State of Israel. About 51% responded that they would not support either side.

The survey, conducted by Habithonistim, a group representing 1,800 former Israel Defense Forces officers, Mossad agents and Shin Bet security operatives, sampled 1,068 Jews and Arabs (both Muslim and Christian). Its publication comes ahead of the one year anniversary of the Arab rioting in mixed Jewish-Arab towns in Israel, against the backdrop of the 11-day war with Hamas in Gaza in May 2021.

The riots, which were unprecedented in their scope and violence, included several assaults and the torching of hundreds of cars in several mixed cities, as well as the vandalism of shops and synagogues. Many Jewish families were forced leave their homes temporarily with police escorts.

The poll’s Jewish respondents expressed concern for the fate of the country, with 67 percent of Jews believing that authorities should employ a range of preventative measures, including using firearms and issuing fines, to combat clashes between Jews and Arabs.

Sixty-six percent of the general public support the establishment of a national guard, a joint project by Israel Police and the Ministry of Public Affairs which will be launched by the end of the year.

In the Arab sector, 44 percent support the project, with 37 percent of Arabs Israelis saying they are willing to enlist in it. Among Jewish Israelis, support for enlistment in the project stands at approximately 54 percent.

The majority of the public, about 66 percent of all citizens, expressed distrust in the police; Among Israeli Arabs, according to the data, distrust stands at 73 percent. Seventy-one percent of Arabs feel a sense of insecurity, compared to 44 percent in the Jewish sector.