Jewish legislation?
צילום: אלכס קולומויסקי
Most Israelis think prime minister must be Jewish
Poll reveals wide gap between Israelis' liberal views and their willingness to see such principles implemented; 64 percent of public, including 31 percent of Israeli Arabs, back legislation guaranteeing only Jews could be elected prime minister
A majority of Israelis (64 percent) support legislation that would guarantee that only Jews would be able to become prime minister in Israel.
A poll commissioned by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation also found that 31 percent of Israeli Arabs back such legislation.
Conducted among 609 Hebrew, Russian and Arabic-speaking Israelis, the poll aimed at examining the public's approach towards liberal and democratic values.
The survey revealed a wide gap between the principles Israelis have on various issues, and their willingness to see such principles implemented, especially with regards to minority rights. For instance, while 55 percent of respondents said that they supported safeguarding the rights of Israeli Arabs, 64 percent believed that only Jews should be allowed to run for prime minister.
Furthermore, while 97 percent think that tolerance towards the other is important, a third of the public believes Arabs and Jews should live in separate neighborhoods.
Security concerns influence views
When it comes to Israel's democratic character, 37 percent of Hebrew and Russian-speaking respondents said that the country's Jewish nature was more important than its democratic character. Some 47 percent of the Arabic-speaking population believe that Israel's democratic nature is more important than its Jewish character.
In addition, according to the poll 75 percent of Israelis (including 21 percent of the Arab public) support lifting all limitations on the IDF and the Shin Bet in counter-terror operations, even if they entail violating suspects' human and civil rights.
A representative of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Israel, Dr Hans Georg Plack, said that "the poll's contradictory results illustrate that the Israeli public attributes the highest importance to liberal values and democratic institutions, despite the lack of willingness to implement this principles in some fields. This probably stems from the unique and difficult security situation in the region, which leads to a heightened need for security and for protecting democracy."
