Jewish-Arab Relations Survey

18 Responses to “Jewish-Arab Relations Survey”

1. Simon Columbus on March 24th, 2008 1:49 pm

   “No, I don’t want to live in my friends’ neighborhood!”

   Their definition of “friends” seems a bit strange to me…

2. Howie on March 24th, 2008 3:09 pm

   Statistics are a funny thing to interpret. You have to look at this in light of the fact that:

   1. This is a survey of ISRAELI’S specifically, not Jews in general. It was also taken at a time where there has been the war with Lebanon, the Intifada and now the Kassams…

   2. The survey could include Orthodox Jews…Some of that group don’t want Arabs in their neigborhoods nor do they want Christians or non-religious Jews.

   From a Jewish/Israeli perspective…I would say it is still mostly the same old song…”trust” not “hate”.

   Given how much “dirty for dirty” has been happening there…I see the results as very positive…though I am a bit suspicious about the Arab side since I have read other surveys with less friendly results.

   Still, it shows most of us would like to do other things besides fight…most…obviously not all.

3. Howie on March 24th, 2008 3:14 pm

   Ah…now I get it…

   Just re-read the thing. This was, I am certain, a survey of Arabs that are Israeli citizens…that is a WHOLE different ballgame…

   Try this survey in other parts of the Arab world…those surveys have come out much different. And funny, those that often hate us the most have really never had any contact..while the the Israeli Arabs, who do have regular contact…85% would be glad to have Israeli friends.

   Hmmm

4. Drima on March 24th, 2008 4:08 pm

   “Still, it shows most of us would like to do other things besides fight…most…obviously not all.”

   Yup, my point exactly.

5. Nobody on March 24th, 2008 5:00 pm

   The poll is skewed because it did not ask if its Arab participants would like to see Jews to move into their neighborhoods. But I am not surprised that so many Jews would not like to have Arab neighbors. Apart from Peki’in where locals had chased away their Jewish neighbors just a few months ago, both in the north and in the south cars are occasionally attacked with stones. In the south the criminal situation has deteriorated so much because of the Bedouin gangsterism that I won’t be surprised to see Jews starting soon setting up neighborhood watches. And as somebody who had to live in Jerusalem at the peak of the Oslo process I remember days when Arabs were openly bullying Jews on the streets and in the public transport. I would say that I certainly had much nicer experiences in my life than having Arab neighbors.

6. Sahmira on March 24th, 2008 6:54 pm

   “Fifty percent of Jews do not want an Arab in their neighborhoods” because for them an Arab is a Palestinian. Given the hightened level of mistrust the results are amazingly positive. I am sure if a Jewish Israeli was asked if he would not mind a moroccan to move close by him, he would gladly say yes to the idea because they would share food, drink, partying and love of life and also they could be genetically identical.

   Conversely if you would ask a palestinian if he would mind a Jewish Arab to move close by, he would gladly accept, because of the shared culture and perhaps the remeniscence of the dhimmitude status that the new comer would have to assume (sadly). However, a russian or French jew moving the neighborhood, that’s totally different. This is seen as zionist ploy and manipulation and thus an insult to the Arab feeling of grandeur and political fetishisim. Go figure.

   I think both jews and arabs should talk more to solve their problems. That would make our lives (us who are neither jews, arabs muslims or christians) much better.

7. VadimM on March 24th, 2008 7:29 pm

   Or maybe that we (Jews and Arabs) are just too different? And please don’t hate me, because I’m not saying who’s better or worse…just different. But as mentioned in one of the comments here “The poll is skewed because it did not ask if its Arab participants would like to see Jews to move into their neighborhoods.”

8. Andrew Brehm on March 24th, 2008 10:10 pm

   I’m not sure people ever make a difference between Arab and non-Arab Jews. Jew is Jew. I can’t see the relevant difference myself.

   Don’t forget that the Jews attacked by Arabs in Palestine were immigrants as well as Palestinian Jews (whose families had lived in Palestine for thousands of years) and that the Jews who fled Arab countries were (of course) Arab Jews.

   That Arabs and Jews in Israel get along doesn’t impress me. I have Israeli Arab friends myself and shared a dorm with Arabs in Haifa. I don’t see it as anything special.

   Jews are hated by those who don’t know Jews.

   In my experience Israeli Jews are hated most by American (and European)”liberals”, not Arabs or Palestinian Arabs.

   As for orthodox Jews, I think it is more complicated. “Orthodox” doesn’t mean “Haredi” (black hats). And orthodox doesn’t mean observant. Most observant Jews are completely “normal” except that they live kosher and shomer shabbes.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA_qX-eUgbs

   Haredis like to keep to themselves. They don’t want to mix with anyone; it doesn’t have anything to do with racism. It is indeed extreme culturism. I have no problem with that.

   Orthodox Jews (which includes Haredi Jews) are a wide spectrum. Most Jews in Ireland are orthodox, and they mix up with the general population.

9. Howie on March 24th, 2008 11:38 pm

   AB…

   I was referring to the Mea Shearim types…not your standard kosher/shabbat type…those just mostly want to be in a religious neighborhood so they don’t have to put up with smoking on Shabbat etc. Some of those also are racist…some ain’t.

   But yes I too hung out with Arabs in Israel, they were in my classes, worked with some…if anything…most Israelis bent over backwards to be PC or were just plain curious…others were asses…so what else is new.

   Again…it is mostly about fear and distrust…not much about hatred.

   Pssst..”don’t let Drima in the neighborhood, kills the property values”.

10. Andrew Brehm on March 24th, 2008 11:43 pm

    “standard kosher/shabbat type”

    I like that expression: standard kosher shabbat type. I will use it without the slash.

11. lirun on March 25th, 2008 10:09 am

    well i live in yaffo and i have arab friends..

    i can add though that its rarely simple..

12. Nobody on March 26th, 2008 4:02 pm

    I think it’s not the best time to carry out such polls at all. In general, when Israel is in the middle of an armed conflict with some Arab entity, whether Palestinian or not, relations immediately deteriorate because Israelis and Arabs naturally tend to support different sides. And we’ve spent more than a year moving from bad to worse - from war in Lebanon to war in Gaza. It looks like right now the relations between the two communities are at all time low.

    But I won’t be surprised to see the things getting even worse. I think the two communities are on a collision course. With Israel getting more religious and nationalist and Israeli Arabs less and less willing to compromise on the idea of Israel as a Jewish state, something is bound to happen.

13. Howie on March 26th, 2008 11:49 pm

    Nobody-

    I think you are basically correct…Arabs are also becoming more nationalistic and more Orthodox within Israel…though that is a very mixed bag.

    Many Arabs in Israel have a huge economic stake in Israel being successful. Some may get the Palestinian fever…but many know that they would eat it under Hamas or such.

14. The Raccoon on March 27th, 2008 9:23 am

    “but many know that they would eat it under Hamas or such” - יעני, שהם אכלו אותה?

    But in general, I agree with NB… the situation is deteriorating rapidly. Personally - knowing that people, on average, have the mental capacity of a cucumber - I reckon that Israeli Arabs (in addition to random enemy Arabs living in Israel and mistakenly holding an Israeli ID card) will choose poverty, suffering and death over prosperity, fun and life.

    It seems that all too many people would rather be poor and miserable than rich and happy. Especially Palestinians, it seems.

    Drima - there’s been lots of fermentation lately in Israel about African ‘fugees, not necessarily Sudanese. The government seems to be leaning more and more towards kicking them out while assorted Israeli/Jewish charity organizations are making more and more PR for the plight of Africans in general and ‘fugees in Israel in particular.

    Pity most of it’s in Hebrew, though :/

15. Nobody on March 28th, 2008 8:31 am

    But in general, I agree with NB… the situation is deteriorating rapidly. Personally - knowing that people, on average, have the mental capacity of a cucumber - I reckon that Israeli Arabs (in addition to random enemy Arabs living in Israel and mistakenly holding an Israeli ID card) will choose poverty, suffering and death over prosperity, fun and life.

    Unfortunately Jews frequently display a very similar behavior. Throughout their history the situation prevailed with Jews rejecting assimilation and choosing poverty, suffering and death over prosperity, fun and life.

16. The Raccoon on March 28th, 2008 9:10 am

    NB - true. But then again, assimilation didn’t necessarily mean a better life for our ancestors. The benefits weren’t as immediately availiable, shall we say

    Moreover, the price Jews had to pay for assimilation was the betrayal of their culture and tradition to people who hate and despise them (look at the Morranos).

    On average, however, yeah… most people choose poverty, suffering and death over prosperity, fun and life.

17. Nobody on March 28th, 2008 10:51 am

    On average, however, yeah… most people choose poverty, suffering and death over prosperity, fun and life.

    what i was actually trying to say is that national stuff is important for people … they are often ready to sacrifice some degree of prosperity for the sake of it, if not all of it … in this sense israeli arabs are not very original … neither the jews are immune to this to say the least … i would not call israel the nicest place to live in and israelis in general are a bunch of nuts .. they can drive mad anybody and not only arabs … nevertheless many jews come here driven by nothing else by national feelings … it’s more like … you know .. it’s shit but its my shit

18. The Raccoon on March 30th, 2008 9:17 am

    Yeah, dude, you’re pretty much right… but then again, since I have discovered (as did you) that these nationalistic feelings are quite justified, in the sense that lacking a national home can get you destitute and/or dead with surprising speed.

    Just look at the Holocaust.

    So this attitude has its reasons and rewards… and therefore, is not as wrong as one might think

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