42 percent don’t want to live in the same building with Arabs and 42 percent don’t want their children in the same class with Arab children. A third of the Jewish public wants a law barring Israeli Arabs from voting for the Knesset
However, some of the graphs that accompany the online Hebrew version of the article are not attached to the English version. A plurality of Israeli Jews (49%) have no objection to having an Arab child in the same class as their children and 53% are not bothered by having an Arab neighbor in the same building.
And instead of the third who expressed a negative opinion, what about the vast majority (59%) of Israeli Jews who do not support banning Israeli Arabs from voting for the Knesset?
These are examples of Levy’s propensity to take statistics and twist them to suit his nasty agenda.
Take a sample of 503 Jews out of some six million living in Israel and you will find prejudices and biases that are present in any population in any country of the world. While Jews are not unique in this regard, a fear of the “other” could be better understood by the particular circumstances that Israelis feel when it comes to their personal security in a very dangerous neighborhood.
This survey, however, is not the proof that Levy seeks to back up his assertions that Israeli society is inherently and fundamentally racist.
Survey disavowed
Levy states that the survey was commissioned by the New Israel Fund’s Yisraela Goldblum Fund. It is perhaps an indicator of just how politicized and toxic this poll is that the New Israel Fund itself has disassociated itself from it. NIF has issued a clarification (in Hebrew) that it does not stand behind the survey and is not related to it in any way.
The original Ha’aretz story has already been picked up by parts of the international media looking to take a cheap shot at Israel, including The Guardian and Daily Telegraph in the UK. It may only be a matter of hours before some of the US press follows suit.
You can send your considered comments to The Guardian – [email protected] – and the Daily Telegraph – [email protected] – right now. Keep an eye out for this story in your local media and respond if it appears. You can also register your complaints with Ha’aretz through its online contact form.
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