Close to half of Israeli Jews (49%) agree that “Jewish citizens of Israel should have more rights than non-Jewish citizens,” almost double the percentage since 2018 (27%), according to a study by The Israel Democracy Institute. This follows a survey conducted last year the institute in which it found that 60% of Israeli Jews favor segregation from Arabs.
Among the 20,000 Israeli Jews surveyed, 62% identify as Right-wing, with a whopping 73% of those aged 18-24 and 75% of those aged 25-34 defining themselves as being on the Right. These numbers reflect the growing trends we have seen in the political landscape, with the collapse of the Labor party in the past two-decades and the failure of Meretz – a supposedly Zionist left-wing party – from making it into the Knesset in the latest elections.
Trust in the state’s institutions has also taken a hit across the board. The President of Israel is one of only two institutions (along with the Israeli military) which a majority of Israeli Jews trust. Trust in other institutions is with only 42% trust in Supreme Court, 35% in the police, 24% in the government, 23% in the media, 18.5% in the Knesset, and a shocking 8.5% in political parties. Only 29% of the Right trust the Supreme Court, which will likely fuel the Netanyahu government’s planned judicial reforms which threatened to severely weaken the institution.
These numbers also reflect the attitude of Palestinian citizens of Israel; 29% trust in the President of Israel, 39% in the Supreme Court, 17% in the police, 17% in the government, 19% in the media, 14% in the Knesset, and 10% in political parties. Trust in the Knesset and political parties halved among both Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel. Trust in the media and police also halved among Palestinian citizens.
66% of Israeli Jews think that human rights organizations “cause damage to the state.” Segmentation along political affiliation shows that 80% of Right-wing Israeli Jews agree with the statement. These findings are unsurprising given the incitement against human rights organizations, especially Palestinian ones, by far-right politicians.
Almost all Israeli Jews (80%) think that decisions crucial to peace and security should be made by the Jewish majority only. At the same time only 26% of Jewish Israelis believe the dominant component of the state should be its democratic element (as opposed to its Jewish element).
The findings of the study shows Israel is headed on a dangerous and dark path into the future, where the far-right will continue to grow, human rights organizations are viewed as enemies, and its democratic institutions are increasingly at risk of collapsing.
