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The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conducted a public opinion survey on relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel during the war in Gaza, also known as Swords of Iron.[1] What follows is a summary of the main findings.

1. Over half the Jewish and Arab public in Israel feel a change for the worse in relations between them since the start of the war (Figure 1). Of the Jewish public, 11.5 percent feel a change for the better, 29 percent feel no change, while about half (50.5 percent) feel a change for the worse; 9 percent answered, “don’t know.” Among the Arab public, only 5 percent feel a change for the better, far less than in the Jewish public; 30 percent said they felt no change, 54 percent said they felt a change for the worse, and 11 percent answered, “don’t know.”

2. There is a significant gap between the attitudes of the Jewish public and the Arab public regarding restrictions by the State of Israel on freedom of speech during the war (Figure 2). Two thirds (66 percent) of the Jewish public believe the state is acting properly, compared to only 12 percent who believe the opposite; 13 percent replied that there was no change in the restrictions, while 9 percent replied, “don’t know.” In contrast, 23 percent of the Arab public believe the state is acting properly, compared to 57 percent who believe the opposite. Only 9 percent of the Arab public believe that there has been no change in restrictions on freedom of speech, while 11 percent replied, “don’t know.”

3. The sense of personal security among the Arab public is significantly lower than among the Jewish public (Figure 3). Of the Jewish public, 24 percent feel a high sense of personal security, 47 percent felt moderate personal security, and 28 percent of the Jews had a low sense of personal security. Among the Arab public, only 12 percent feel a high sense of personal security, 30 percent feel moderate personal security, and about half (49 percent) have a low sense of personal security. In other words, twice as many of the Arab respondents have a low sense of personal security compared to the Jewish respondents. Our assumption, which requires further examination, is that these figures reflect a fear of rocket attacks in the absence of protection.

4. About half of the Jewish public are afraid of attacks on themselves or their families by Israeli Arabs (Figure 4). Of the Jewish respondents, 51 percent said they were afraid of an attack, compared to 46 percent who said they were not afraid; 3 percent replied, “don’t know.” In contrast, a large majority of the Arab public are not afraid of attacks by Jewish Israelis (Figure 5). Of the Arab respondents, 71 percent said they were not afraid of an attack, compared to 21 percent who aere afraid; 8 percent replied, “don’t know.”

5. Since the start of the war, the economic situation of Israeli Arabs has deteriorated considerably compared to the Jewish public (Figure 6). Of the Jewish public, 38 percent said that their economic situation was worse, compared to 59 percent who believed that it had not changed, while 1.5 percent believed that their economic situation had improved. Another 1.5 percent answered, “don’t know.” Over half the Arab public (54 percent) responded that their economic situation was worse, 36 percent responded that it had not changed, and 3.5 percent said that their economic situation had improved; 6.5 percent answered, “don’t know.”

6. About a third of the Arab public support the war’s objective of destroying Hamas rule in Gaza. Of the Arab public, 34 percent said they supported the aim of the war as defined by the political echelon a great deal or quite a lot (15 and 19 percent, respectively). Only 27 percent of the Arab public support the aim slightly or not at all (10 and 17 percent, respectively). A large proportion of the Arab public, 39 percent, responded, “don’t know.” By contrast, 96 percent of the Jewish public supported the aim of the war a great deal or quite a lot (85.5 and 10.5 percent, respectively), while 3 percent support the aim slightly or not at all (1 and 2 percent, respectively). Only 1 percent responded, “don’t know.”

7. Finally, we asked the Arab public if they were afraid of being arrested during the war. According to the findings, 41 percent of the Arab public are afraid of being arrested, compared to 48.5 percent who are not afraid; 10.5 percent responded, “don’t know.”

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[1]  The survey, conducted on November 16-19, 2023, was prepared and analyzed by researchers at the INSS Data Analytics Desk. Field work was conducted by the Rafi Smith Institute. The survey was conducted by phone and on the internet among men and women who constitute a representative sample of the adult population in Israel (age 18 and above).