Study: Israeli Jews also blame Israel for conflict

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"Many Israeli Jews reject the idea that the Palestinians are primarily responsible for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a new study finds.

The study, funded by a grant from the International Peace Research Association Foundation, found that the collective memory of Israeli Jews in general is significantly critical of Israel’s role in the conflict, and that they have somewhat rejected the “Zionist narrative” of the conflict which holds the Arabs/Palestinians primarily responsible for the conflict.

A total of 47 percent of Israeli Jews believe that Palestinians were expelled from Israel during the 1948 war, with 39 percent saying that "The refugees left due to fear, calls of leaders and expulsion by the Jews," and another 8 percent saying the refugees left due only to expulsion by the Jews. Another 41 percent said that the refugees left "due to fear and calls of leaders to leave," the traditional "Zionist narrative."

Some 46 percent believe that Israel and the Palestinians are equally responsible for the outbreak and continuation of the conflict, while 4 percent blame only the Jews. Some 43 percent primarily blame the Palestinians.

In a question about who bears responsibility for the outbreak of the 1987 intafada, 23.6 percent of respondents said it was "Mainly natural hatred towards Israel," and another 17.2 percent said it was "somewhat due to hatred." Some 32 percent responded that the 1987 intafada was caused "More or less equally due to hatred and other reasons (such as unwillingness to be controlled and harsh treatment by Israel)."

Rafi Nets-Zehngut, an Israeli, a fellow at the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Teachers College of Columbia University, and Daniel Bar-Tal, a faculty member at the School of Education at Tel Aviv University, conducted the study last summer.

The survey, conducted by the Dialog Israeli center for public opinion research, reached a representative sample of 500 Israeli Jews. The questions in the survey examined the collective memory regarding 25 major issues associated with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the late 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century."

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The Israeli-Jewish Collective Memory of the Israeli-Arab/Palestinian Conflict

http://www.tc.edu/news/article.htm?id=6812

that Israelis tended to have a much more critical view of their government and a more balanced and reasonable understanding of their history than American Jews. Israelis take part in an ongoing national debate with each other that would be unheard of in the U.S.

The Israeli press is much less the property of an oligarchic ruling class than the US news press has ever been. But that is an economic difference in ownership, not a difference in legal press freedom. The Israeli military censor has powers that are absolute and go far beyond what will be contested in the USA.

I think it's true of many countries - the citizens have a far more nuanced views of the subtleties of their politics, than people outside who see the country in more simplistic terms.

When you elect right-wing militaristic blowhards over and over, that's the sort of government you have, and that's the sort of world you live in.

Too little proportional-representation (the UK) and too much (Israel) can have remarkably similar effects in terms of electing less-than-representative governments to power.

Even as it is here in the USA or there in the UK. Democratic systems of whatever stripe fail when the voting public does not step up and do its part in the process, if you vote for morons and ideologues, that's what you get.

but it was the woman-hating Peres that asked Bibi to form a government.

Are you mixing him up with his predecessor Katzav?

47% sounds about right. Among both Israelis and Palestinians there seems to be a pretty close 50-50 split between hawks and doves. This is hopeful in a way, as a very small change in the dovish direction could lead to big changes in policy.

im left feeling this revelation wont change a thing around here.

That the Zionists here, who strongly believe that Jews are entitled to self-determination and their own homeland, would turn into anti-Zionist haters?

Doubtful.