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Jewish-Arab Coexistence Against the Odds

(Israel Hayom) Yoram Ettinger - According to a Feb. 17 public opinion survey conducted by Tel Aviv University, the most pressing issues for Israel's Arabs are employment, education, health care, neighborhood crime and women's rights (43%), ahead of enhancing the status of the Arab community in Israel (28.1%) and the Israel-Palestinian conflict and negotiations (19%). Moreover, 61.3% of Israel's Arabs consider the Knesset an effective arena to address their concerns. A Feb. 17 poll conducted by Stat Net indicated that 77% of Israeli Arabs prefer Israeli - over Palestinian - citizenship, and 64% are optimistic about Jewish-Arab relations. The 2014 special election for the mayor of Nazareth featured a resounding victory (62% to 38%) for Ali Salam, who focused on civic challenges in Nazareth, over Ramiz Jaraisy, who highlighted his identification with the PA. According to Tel Aviv University researcher Arik Rudnitzky, the dramatic increase in voter turnout among Arab voters from 56.5% in 2013 to 64% in 2015 reflects the widening interaction and integration between Israel's Jews and Arabs, and growing Arab confidence in the Israeli political system. A growing majority of Arab voters appreciate Israel's democracy, especially when observing the flaming Arab tsunami throughout the Middle East, devoid of civil liberties and replete with violent intolerance towards minorities and each other.
2015-03-24 00:00:00
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