Worthy Christian News > Israel-Palestinian Conflict > Percentage of Israeli Arabs who identify with Israel sky-rockets since Oct.7 massacre

Percentage of Israeli Arabs who identify with Israel sky-rockets since Oct.7 massacre

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A new survey shows that the percentage of Arab Israelis who feel they are part of the Jewish state and its problems has skyrocketed since the Oct. 7 surprise brutal attack on Israeli civilians by the Hamas Palestinian terror group, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports. Hamas murdered around 1,200 mostly civilian Israelis in the Oct. 7 disaster, including around 70 Israeli Arabs.

While Israel’s critics and enemies repeatedly describe it as an “apartheid state” for Jews, there are 2.1 million Arab Israelis among a population of under 10 million, with full citizenship rights and representation in parliament. Representing a fifth of Israel’s population, Israeli Arabs played a significant role in rescuing civilians under attack by Hamas, and IDF units of Arab Israelis are currently fighting Hamas in Gaza.

Conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute, the new survey was carried out by phone and internet between November 5-6, TOI reports. The survey found that 70% of Arab Israelis now feel part of Israel and its problems, compared to 48% who felt so in June.

On the other hand, when asked about their optimism for the future of Israel, only 27% of Arab Israelis said they were optimistic, TOI reports. Meanwhile, the same survey showed that, by contrast, 72% of Jews are optimistic about the future, compared to 52% in June.

Concerning Israeli society’s resilience in the current crisis, 90% of Jews and 58% of Arabs said it was high, TOI reports.