For The Land and The Lord: Appendix 2: Polling Data Illustrative of Israeli Attitudes on Selected Questions, by Ian S. Lustick


Appendix 2: Polling Data Illustrative of Israeli Attitudes on Selected Questions


Territorial Compromise
Regarding the West Bank (held by Israel since the Six Day War in 1967), what is the biggest concession you would be willing to make in order to arrive at a peace agreement with the Arab countries?
Of Israeli Jews, 30 percent said no concessions. January 1975 1

If Israel had to choose between peace and annexation of the territories held since the 1967 war which would you choose?
Of Israeli Jews, 54 percent chose annexation. July 1984 2

In peace negotiations with the Arabs, Israel should suggest territorial compromise against suitable security guarantees.
Of Israeli Jews, 54 percent disagreed. September 1986 3

Are you in favor of a peace agreement with Jordan according to which Israel will give up territory in Judea and Samaria?
Of Israeli Jews, the proportions against any concession were as follows.
48.9 percent November 1985
43.6 percent February 1986
44.9 percent March 1986
47.7 percent October 1986
46.4 percent April 1987
4

Which of die following proposals on the future of Judea and Samaria is closer to your own position?
Of Israeli Jews, 66.8 percent cited either annexation or permanent control without annexation. July 1987 5

Are you in favor of a peace agreement with Jordan according to which Israel will give up territory in Judea and Samaria?
Of Israeli Jews aged 22-29,56 percent said no; of those aged 18-29,73 percent said no March 1986 6

Settlement of the West Bank
Should Jewish settlement be allowed in Hebron? Of Israeli Jews, 46.3 percent said yes. March 198O 7

Should we continue with Jewish settlements in all of Judea and Samaria?
Of Israeli Jews, 31.2 percent said yes. March 1981 8

Do you support or oppose relinquishing any settlements in the West Bank?
Of Israeli Jews, 50 percent were opposed. September 1984 9

Do you favor or oppose the internal organization of settlers in Judea and Samaria to assure their safety?
Of Israeli Jews, 37.9 percent were in favor. December 1984 10

Are you willing for Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria to be evacuated in exchange for a peace agreement with Jordan?
Of Israeli Jews, 62 percent said no. April 1987 11

Are you willing to freeze new settlements in Judea and Samaria?
Of Israeli Jews, the proportions against such a freeze were as follows:
35 4 percent November 1985
35 9 percent February 1986
35 5 percent March 1986
36 6 percent October 1986
37.9 percent April 1987
12

Arabs
Do you support the use of terror to confront Arab terror?
Of Israeli Jews, 36.6 percent said yes. May 1980 13
Of Israeli Oriental Jews, 46 percent said yes. May 1980 14

There cannot be peace between us and between all the Arab countries.
Of Israeli Jews, 37.3 percent agreed. 1981 15

A Jewish group to fight terror with terror should be created.
Of Israeli Jews, 18.7 percent agreed. December 1983 16

The Arab population across the green line should be deported.
Of Israeli Jews, 15 percent agreed. July 1984 17

Can justify or relate with understanding to the Jewish terrorist underground.
Of Israeli Jews, 62 percent agreed. June 1984 18

Arabs in Israel should not be permitted to criticize the government.
Of Israeli Jews aged 15-18, 55.1 percent agreed. August 1984 19

Deny Israeli Arab citizens the right to vote in Knesset elections.
Of Israeli Jews, 24 percent agreed. 1985 20

Agree with the ideas of the Kach movement of Meir Kahane regarding the Arab minority.
Of 600 Israeli Jewish high school students, 42.1 percent agreed. 1985 21

I support those working to make the Arabs leave Judea and Samaria.
Of Israeli Jews, the proportions agreeing were as follows:
22 percent 1983
35 percent August 1985
29 percent February 1986
34 percent May 1986
38 percent September 1986
22

Miscellaneous
Believe in the coming of the Messiah.
Of Israeli Jews, 36 percent said yes. 1974 23

The Jewish people is a Chosen People.
Of Israeli Jews, 57 percent agreed. 1974 24

Willing to sharply reduce standard of living in order to end Israeli dependence on America.
Of Israeli Jews, 38.2 percent said yes. June 1980 25

The idea of rebuilding the Temple before the coming of the Messiah.
Of Israeli Jews, 18.3 percent supported it. May 1983 26

The idea of razing the Muslim shrines to rebuild the Third Temple.
Of Israeli Oriental Jews, 25 percent supported it. May 1982 27

Given the labels "rightist," "moderate rightist," "moderate leftist," and "leftist," how would you describe yourself.
Of Israeli Jews, 20 percent answered "rightist." January 1982 28

The Committee for Solidarity with Beir Zeit [a left-wing Jewish group with ties to West Bank Arabs] should be outlawed.
Of Israeli Jews, 60 percent agreed. March 1983 29

The political system should be changed radically and a strong regime of leaders who are not dependent on parties should be instituted.
Of Israeli Jews, 20 percent agreed. March 1983 30

Do you prefer an undemocratic government whose positions and actions you approve to a democratic one whose views and actions you oppose?
Of Israeli Jews, 17 percent said yes. March 1983 31

A cohen [descendant of the priestly caste] must not marry a divorced woman. -
Of Israeli Jews, 32 percent agreed. March 1986 32

Jews known to be PLO supporters should definitely not have the right to vote for Knesset.
Of Israeli Jews, 61.4 percent agreed. January l987 33

Known Kahane supporters should definitely not have the right to vote for Knesset.
Of Israeli Jews, 33.4 percent agreed. January l987 34

The right of dissent is of no importance.
Of Israeli Jewish youth, 30 percent agree. April I987 35


Notes To Appendix 2

Note 1: Poll conducted by the Israel Institute of Applied Social Research, reported in Russel Stone, Social Change in Israel: Attitudes and Events, 1967-1979 (New York: Praeger, 1982) p.41. Back.

Note 2: Asher Arian, "What the Israeli Election Portends," Public Opinion, August/ September 1984, p.55. Back.

Note 3: Poll conducted by Hanoch Smith, reported in Jerusalem Post, October 2, 1986. Back.

Note 4: Polls conducted by Modi'in Ezrahi, reported in Maariv, April 20, 1986 (translated in Foreign Broadcast Information Service, April 24, 1986, p.16); and Maariv, July T5, 1987 (translated in FBIS, July 16, 1987, p. L6). Back.

Note 5: Poll conducted by Modi'in Ezrahi, reported in Maariv, July 15, 1987 (translated in FBIS, July 16, 1987, p. L6). Back.

Note 6: Poll conducted by Modi'in Ezrahi, reported in Maariv, April 20, 1986 (translated in FBIS, April 24, 1986, p.16). Back.

Note 7: Poll conducted by Modi'in Ezrahi, reported in Jerusalem Post, March 26, 1980. Back.

Note 8: Poll conducted by Modi'in Ezrahi, reported in Jerusalem Post, March 31, 1981. Back.

Note 9: Poll conducted by Public Opinion Research of Israel (PORI), reported by Gloria Falk "Israeli Public Opinion: Looking toward a Palestinian Solution" in Middle East Journal, vol. 39, no. 3 (Summer 1985) p.252. Back.

Note 10: Poll conducted by Modi'in Ezrahi, reported in Jerusalem Post, January 13, 1984. Back.

Note 11: Poll conducted by Modi'in Ezrahi, reported in Maariv, May 12, 1987 (translated in FBIS, May 15, 1987, p.18). Back.

Note 12: Poll conducted by Modi'in Ezrahi, reported in Maariv, April 20, 1986 (translated in FBIS, April 24, 1986, p.16); and Maariv, May 12, 1987 (translated in FBIS, May 15, 1987, p.18). Back.

Note 13: Results of a poll taken shortly after bombing attack on West Bank mayors, reported in Haaretz as cited in Nekuda, "The Fourth Explosion," June 6, 1980. Back.

Note 14: Ibid. Back.

Note 15: Haaretz, April 8, 1981. Back.

Note 16: Poll conducted by Modi'in Ezrahi, reported in Jerusalem Post, January 13, 1984. Back.

Note 17: Poll conducted by Dahaf, reported by Yoram Peri in Danvar; August 3, 1984. Back.

Note 18: Poll conducted by Dahaf, reported in Charles S. Liebman, "The Religious Component in Israeli Ultra-Nationalism," Jerusalem Quarterly, no. 41 (Winter 1987) p. l28. Back.

Note 19: Ibid. Back.

Note 20: Sammy Smooha, "Political Intolerance: Threatening Israel's Democracy," New Outlook, vol. 29, no 7, July 1986, p.29. Back.

Note 21: Poll conducted by the Van Leer Institute, reported in Israleft Biweekly News Service, no. 266, July 10, 1985, p.6. Back.

Note 22: Poll conducted by Hanoch Smith, reported in Davar, October 2, 1986. Back.

Note 23: Poll conducted by U. Farago, Stability and Change in the Jewish Identity of Working Youth in Israel: 1965-1974 (in Hebrew) (Jerusalem: Levi Eshkol Institute for Economic, Social and Political Research, Hebrew University). Reported by Baruch Kimmerling in "Between the Primordial and Civil Definition of the Collective Identity," n.d., p. 16. Back.

Note 24: Ibid. Back.

Note 25: Poll conducted by Modi'in Ezrahi, reported in Jerusalem Post, June 10, 1980. Back.

Note 26: Poll conducted by PORI, reported in Haaretz, May 12, 1983; cited by Ofira Seliktar, New Zionism and the Foreign Policy System of Israel (Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 1986) p.212. Back.

Note 27: Poll conducted by PORI, reported in Middle East Research Institute, MERI Special Report, vol. 2, no. 1 (May 2, 1984). Back.

Note 28: Polls conducted by Modi'in Ezrahi, reported in Jerusalem Post, February 2, 1982. Back.

Note 29: Poll conducted by Dahaf, reported in Koteret Rashit, March 9, 1983 (translated in JPRS no. NEA-83179, April 1, 1983, p.73). Back.

Note 30: Polling data reported in AI-Hamishmar March 20, 1983. Back.

Note 31: Ibid. Back.

Note 32: Poll conducted by Hanoch Smith, reported in American Jewish Committee, News from the Committee, April 17,1986. Back.

Note 33: Poll conducted by Modi'in Ezrachi, reported in Yochanan Peres, "Most Israelis are Committed to Democracy," Israeli Democracy, February 1987, p.17. Back.

Note 34: Ibid. Back.

Note 35: Polling results reported by Aryeh Naor in Yediot Acharonot, April 21, 1987 (translated in Israel Press Briefs, no. 53, May/June 1987, p.8). Back.


For the Land and the Lord