41% of Israel's Jews favour segregation

The Guardian ^ | Friday March 24, 2006 | Chris McGreal

[MinorityRepublican]

A poll of attitudes among Israel's Jews towards their country's Arab citizens has exposed widespread racism, with large numbers favouring segregation and policies to encourage Arabs to leave the country.

The poll found that more than two-thirds of Jews would refuse to live in the same building as an Arab. Nearly half would not allow an Arab in their home and 41% want segregation of entertainment facilities.

The survey also found 40% of Israel's Jews believe "the state needs to support the emigration of Arab citizens", a policy advocated by some far-right parties in the run-up to next week's general election.

The poll was conducted by a respected Israeli organisation, Geocartographia, for the Centre for the Struggle Against Racism, founded by Arab-Israeli academics. "Racism is becoming mainstream," said the centre's director, Bachar Ouda. "When people talk about transfer [removal] or about Arabs as a demographic timebomb no one raises their voice against such statements.

"This is a worrisome phenomenon. The time has arrived for the Jewish population, who experienced what racism is on its flesh, to wake up and change its way."

Among the poll's other findings was that 63% of Jewish Israelis consider their country's Arab citizens a "security and demographic threat to the state". Some 18% said they felt hatred when they heard someone speaking Arabic, and 34% agreed with the statement that "Arab culture is inferior to Israeli culture".

An Arab-Israeli member of parliament, Taleb el-Sana, said he was not surprised by the findings.

"This shows we're not talking about a few people, but rather, a worrying phenomenon that places question marks over the Zionist movement," he said.

[thoughtomator]

I suppose it's racist to note that no Jew has blown his fellow Jews to bits with a rat-poison laced, nail-filled suicide bomb.

[hsalaw]

two-thirds of Jews would refuse to live in the same building as an Arab

I don't think this is racism. I think it's common sense.

[GSlob]

"63% of Jewish Israelis consider their country's Arab citizens a "security and demographic threat to the state".
It was said that a Jewish genius was a genius alright but that it was a Jewish idiot who was truly stupendous, a sight to behold. Now these appear to be the whole 37% of the population. What gives?

[DTogo]

The same poll taken among the "Arabs" would likely show results all above 98%.

But let's stick to blaming the Joooooooos for now...

[freespirited]

Now these appear to be the whole 37% of the population. What gives?

LOL! They have PC over there too.

[Windsong]

Well it didnt work for the South..

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

At face value, some of the stuff mentioned in the article does seem racist, but the journalist should have taken into account the many suicide bombers who have struck in Israel, and then there seems to be more of a survivalist facet for prosegregation.

[SICSEMPERTYRANNUS]

Shame on you.

[Torie]

The Jews in Israel are in a state of insecurity and angst. I can't imagine why. Maybe it is the water or something.

[Republic_of_Secession.]

Most people who are or perceive that they are under siege tend to be in favour of segregation.

[tdewey10]

And how many Arabas want to live with the Jews? Last time I checked Hamas wants all Jews in Israel dead.

[Moonman62]

At face value, some of the stuff mentioned in the article does seem racist,

Aren't Arabs and Jews the same race?

[lesser_satan]

Nor have any Christians, Shintos, Hindus, Sihks, Wiccans, Bhuddists, or Zoaroastrians.

I find it particularly imteresting that this "writer" calls this "racism", when it's based entirely on ideology, not race.

[goldstategop]

Despite the Israeli Left's monopoly control over the country's media, government and security forces, Israelis do understand the Arab danger very well. What the Left sees as evidence of Israeli racism and xenophobia, most Israelis see as a knowledge of what the Arabs are capable of doing to them if allowed the chance along with a concern for Israel's future as a Jewish State. The biased nature of the survey is of course, typical of leftist contempt for the views of average people. They're all... (enter your favorite leftist insult here) and deserve to be disregarded. We're going to do what we damn well please - but behind their arrogant wielding of authority lies the unspoken fear the people are not really with them. In this, there is hope for Israel's future.

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")

[goldstategop]

Its funny the same people so concerned about transferring Arabs out of Israel (and they should be) are the same people who remained silent when Jews were transferred out of Gaza. For them, its moral if Israel is cleansed of Jews but its verboten to discuss having the Arabs live with their own people. No one is advocating genocide here.

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")

[lesser_satan]

Sihks= Sikhs (with apologies to my Sikh brothers and sisters)

[CheyennePress]

Racist? You do realize that Israel is full of Jews who look exactly like Arab Muslims.

This has very little to do with race, and everything to do with ideology.

I'm curious if this writer for the Guardian would live in the same building as Neo-Nazi skinheads, KKK members, or Black Panthers.

Yes, you are abosolutely correct that you have to take into account the suicide bombers, etc...

Yes, if I were an Israeli, I would consider living among Arab Muslims to be a security risk, too.

[garbageseeker]

Bump

[monkeyshine]

You are right, it does have to do with ideology, and moreso than first blush would reveal.

What this article, and much of popular opinion, does not contemplate is the sense of nationalism that Israeli Jews feel. It should be noted that Israel is a synonym for Jews, and not just a name of a country.

In that regard, they view Israel as the country for the nation of Jews. Westerners often view Jews as "just a religion", but Jews - esp the Jews of Israel - view themselves as a nation independent of their land, just as a Frenchman would feel French even if he lived in Africa.

It's not entirely about racism (though I concede some of it likely is). It's about nationalism. Israeli Jews are acutely aware of the threat that they could lose Jewish national sovereignty. It is not comparable to, say, French who dislike/distrust Arabs... that would be mainly a racial issue. It would be more like if France were under threat of becoming German. That's not a racial problem, it's a national identity problem.

But when Westerners do not really understand how Israeli Jews perceive themselves and their national identity, it becomes a too easy and cheap shot to take such a poll and equate it with racism. It isn't racism per se, it's got more to do with nationalism imho.