The Arabs in Israel

Sammy Smooha, Don Peretz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Representative national surveys of Arab and Jewish populations and leaderships in Israel within the pre-1967 borders conducted in 1980 make it possible for the first time to examine in detail Arab-Jewish differences in attitudes toward the Israeli-Arab conflict. It was confirmed that Israel's Arabs as a whole reject the Israeli national consensus of opposing the Palestinians as a nation, withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders, recognition of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as representative of the Palestinians, formation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, repeal of the annexation of East Jerusalem, and the right to repatriation of the Palestinian refugees. They equally object to the Rejection Front ideology which calls for the replacement of Israel by a democratic-secular state in all Palestine. They subscribe instead to the world operative consensus on these issues. In addition to the dissidence that the conflict engenders in Arabs, it reinforces their unequal status in Israeli society. On the other hand, the Arab minority has not as yet been a party to the Israeli-Arab conflict either as a fifth column, a bridge to peace, or a pressure group. The implications for peacemaking in the region are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)451-484
Number of pages34
JournalJournal of Conflict Resolution
Volume26
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1982

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
2. The Arab respondents were asked to participate in a scientific nonpartisan study of attitudes of Arabs and Jews toward each other conducted under the auspices of the Jewish-Arab Center at the University of Haifa. The fieldwork for the Jewish survey was commissioned and carried out by the Dehaf Research Institute directed by the pollster, Minah Tsemah, and was presented as part of a general scientific study of political views. Both surveys were funded by the Ford Foundation.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Business, Management and Accounting
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Political Science and International Relations

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Arabs in Israel'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this