Survey shows almost half of Arab Israelis support IDF response to Hamas in Gaza
Tel Aviv University researcher says the Hamas attack and ensuing war 'generated an unprecedented change in the positions of Israel's Arab citizens'
An comprehensive study conducted by the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation (KAP) at Tel Aviv University (TAU) found that almost half of surveyed Arab Israelis support Israel's response to the October 7 attack led by Hamas.
In numbers, 47 percent feel that Israel's response to the Hamas attack was justified, while 44 percent do not. Furthermore, about half believe that the attack on October 7 did not contribute to a solution of the Palestinian problem, while the rest are evenly divided as 21 percent thinking that it did contribute and 19 percent indicating it had no impact.
The majority, 57 percent, believe that the Hamas operatives intentionally targeted women and children in the communities near the Gaza border. An even greater amount, 85 percent, approved of the initiatives by Arab citizens to help residents residents of the affected area.
While there was a large amount responding positively to the civic acts and identifying with other Israelis, 70 percent of the responded that the solidarity between Arabs and Jews in Israel has weakened following the events of October 7.
Still, 54 percent approve of the participation of Arab Israelis in the advocacy efforts to present Israel's position to the world, another indicator of identifying with the Israeli nation at large, and the civic roles carried out by its citizens.
In regards to their personal identity, the respondents were asked to choose the most important component, with a significant rise in those saying it was their Israeli citizenship at 33.2 percent, compared to a few months ago in May when it was 21 percent.
The Israeli citizenship came in a similar proportion to those who mentioned their Arab identity, at 32.1 percent. While 22.6% said it was their respective religious affiliation (Muslim, Christian or Druze). And only 8.2% mentioned Palestinian as the most important component of their identity.
These new numbers were in stark contrast to the numbers in May, when 16.5 percent indicated it was their Palestinian identity. As for Arab identity, it was 37.5 percent and religious affiliation was 15.6 percent.
“The war between Israel and Hamas, which began almost two months ago, has generated an unprecedented change in the positions of Israel's Arab citizens. First and foremost, many identify with the communities of Otef Aza [Gaza border communities[, and with Israel's efforts to present its positions to the world," the head of KAP at TAU, Dr. Arik Rudnitzky, said in a press statement.
"Identification with Israel is manifested in the fact that for the first time, and in contrast to all previous surveys, civic Israeli identity plays as strong a role as national Arab identity for Arab Israelis. The war has led to a head-on clash between the Israeli and Palestinian narratives in the international media and on social media," Dr. Rudnitzky added.
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"It is also worth noting that identification with the Israeli narrative with regard to the events of Oct. 7th is higher among the younger generation of Arab Israelis. This is a dramatic finding because relative to their elders, young people are more exposed not only to the Israeli and global media, but also to social media where the Israeli narrative is at a disadvantage," the researcher pointed out.
"At the same time, there is anxiety among Arab Israelis who fear harassment by Jewish Israelis because of the war. Clearly, the violent events of May 2021 resonate in the minds of many, Jews and Arabs alike, but it is important to understand that the war in October 2023 is an entirely different story from the events in May 2021. We should bear this in mind following the conclusion of the war. The country's Arab citizens are signaling to the Jewish population and the government that they are an integral part of the State of Israel," he concluded.