ABSTRACT

Arab dissidence is evidenced by the 90% of Arab public, 76% of the establishment-affiliated Arab leaders, 100% of the Rakah-affiliated Arab leaders, and 100% of the rejectionist Arab leaders opposing the status quo. Arabs as a whole do not share the Jewish views on key issues, and hence do constitute a dissident minority in Israel. Like Arabs, consensus among the Jews on certain issues does not preclude internal disagreement on other questions of Arab-Jewish coexistence. A measure was constructed to capture the varying degrees of rejection by Jews of the Arabs as a national Palestinian minority with equal rights. Only 19% of the Jews who obtain 0-2 points are clearly receptive of Arabs, whereas the overwhelming majority exhibit varying degrees of rejection of Arabs. This proportion of receptivity of Arabs is higher among Jewish leaders: 26% of the hawkish leaders, 37% of the Arabists, and 68% of the dovish leaders.