While non-violent resistance is growing in the West Bank – a threat to Israel and its backers because the vast majority of its adherents are simply demanding equal rights with Jews – it’s hard not to read this and despair. On the other hand, Israel’s true face is being revealed more every day. And we want to remain close to this country?
Nearly half of Israel’s high school students do not believe that Israeli-Arabs are entitled to the same rights as Jews in Israel, according to the results of a new survey released yesterday. The same poll revealed that more than half the students would deny Arabs the right to be elected to the Knesset.
The survey, which was administered to teenagers at various Israeli high schools, also found that close to half of all respondents – 48 percent – said that they would refuse orders to evacuate outposts and settlements in the Palestinian territories.
Nearly one-third – 31 percent – said they would refuse military service beyond the Green Line.
“It took a sampling of 536 Jewish and Arab respondents between the ages of 15-18″
“In response to the question of whether Arab citizens should be granted rights equal to that of Jews, 49.5 percent answered in the negative”
Assuming that Arab respondents want equal rights, and that the sampling is representative (Arab Israelis comprise 20% of Israel’s population), then 61.9% of Jewish respondents would deny equal rights to Arab citizens. Remember, these are Israeli citizens of Palestinian origin, not the occupied stateless Palestinians beyond the green line.