Arabs in Israel: Political Tolerance and Ethnic Conflict

It has been argued frequently that democracies can survive if their citizens are committed to constitutional procedures and remain willing to grant civil liberties to minority groups. In ethnically and/or racially diverse democracies, maintenance of minority rightsfrequently has been problematical. This paper examines the commitment of Israeli Jews to the political rights of the Israeli Arab minority. The study is based upon a survey of 490 adult, urban Jewish citizens. It is found that younger, better educated, more affluent, and less religious Jews in Israel express higher levels of general tolerance and are more tolerant toward the political rights of Israeli Arabs.