TV News | RSS
| Blogs

29 Adar 5767, Monday,
March 19, 2007 17:13 IST |

Web

JPost.com

Jewish Singles

Plant a Tree

Car Rentals

JPost Simchas

Music

JPost Store

ePaper

Christian Edition

Advertise with Us

SERVICES

Subscribe

Careers

E-mail
Edition

Archives

Toolbar

AllJobs Israel

Christian Edition

Youth Magazines

ePaper

News Ticker

Israel Alert

Podcasts

SECTIONS

Home

Headlines

Israel

Middle
East

Iranian
Threat

International

Jewish
World

JPost
Giving

Blogs

Cafe
Oleh

Opinion

Business

Features

Magazine

Arts
& Culture

Real
Estate

Travel
& Tourism

Books

Sports

Health

Sci-Tech

In
Jerusalem

Education

Special
Reports

Q & A

Audio
Programs

Map
of Israel

Israel
Resources

Financial
Tables

Weather

Shabbat
Times

Media
Kit

Sudoku

Crossword

Specials

Eldan Rent-a-Car
The largest car rental
company in Israel offers 20% discount.

Join Free at JDate.com
Where love
happens! Join Now!

Kabbalah amulets and jewelry
Special
Passover discounts at Kabbalah World

MBA in Israel
Taught in English at IDC
Herzliya

Earn a B.A. in Israel
Live in Israel
Study in English

The future of music
global community of
music makers discover new music

Great apartments
Exclusive apartments in
best locations in Israel

Plant JNF Trees
Order online now

Careers at JPost

Passover
Specials

Mendy Vims Holiday
Incomparable Pesach
at Stamford Sheraton or Cliff House, Maine

Eddie's Travel
New Daniel Dead Sea Full
Pesach Program, Special Packages!

JPost.com
» Israel
» Article

Mar. 18, 2007
18:29 | Updated Mar. 18, 2007 22:23
'28% of Israel's Arabs deny
Holocaust'
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Talkbacks for this article:
60

More than a quarter of Israel's Arab citizens believe the
Holocaust never happened, and nearly two thirds of Israeli
Jews avoid entering Arab towns, a poll by an Israeli
university showed Sunday, demonstrating the poor state of
relations between the two communities.

The poll, conducted by Sami Smoocha, a prominent
sociologist at the University of Haifa, showed a wide gap of
mistrust, anger and fear between Israel's Jewish and Arab
citizens.

In its most dramatic finding, the poll showed that 28
percent of Israeli Arabs did not believe the Holocaust
happened, and that among high school and college graduates the
figure was even higher - 33 percent.

According to Smoocha's analysis, radicals in the Arab world
believe the Holocaust to be a political event, and many feel
that by denying it they are expressing opposition to Israel.

Among Israeli Jews, 63 percent said they avoid entering
Arab towns and cities, and 68 percent fear the possibility of
civil unrest among Israeli Arabs.

Pollsters interviewed 721 Arabs and 702 Jews. The margin of
error was 3.7 percentage points.

Asked about the war with Hizbullah guerrillas in Lebanon
last summer, nearly half of the Israeli Arabs polled - 48
percent - said they believed that Hizbullah's rocket attacks
on northern Israel during that war were justified, even though
numerous Arabs were killed and wounded in those attacks.

While 89 percent said they viewed the IDF's bombing of
Lebanon as a war crime, only 44 percent said they saw
Hizbullah's attacks on Israel as such. Hizbullah pelted
northern Israel with nearly 4,000 rockets.

Half of Israeli Arab respondents said Hizbullah's capture
of IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev in a
cross-border raid was justified. That incident sparked the
34-day conflict.

In a press release accompanying the poll's publication,
Smoocha expressed surprise at the results.

"One would have expected more pro-Israeli results among
Israeli Arabs due to the uniqueness of the most recent war: a
war with no involvement of the Palestinians, a war in which
the lives and belongings of Israelis were endangered, a war
against an Islamic fundamentalist group that most of them
don't support," Smoocha said.

Israeli-Arab MK Ahmed Tibi (UAL) said he doubted some of
the findings.

Tibi said he "cannot explain" the numbers indicating
support for Hizbullah, but noted that "usually there is no
empathy for the aggressor," which Tibi said was Israel.

Tibi also said he doubted that the statistics on Holocaust
denial "reflect the situation in the Arab elite." Tibi called
the Holocaust "the worst crime ever against humanity" and said
Holocaust denial is "immoral."

But some of the sentiments, he said, might stem from
"reservations about the way the Holocaust is used as a
political tool" by Israel, said Tibi.

The poll also found that Israeli Arabs had fears about
their future in Israel: 62 percent worry that Israel could
transfer their communities to the jurisdiction of a future
Palestinian state, an idea supported by one of the parties in
Israel's current governing coalition. Sixty percent said they
are concerned about a possible mass expulsion.

Among the Arab respondents, 76 percent described Zionism as
racist.

But more than two thirds said they would be content to live
in the Jewish state, if it existed alongside a Palestinian
state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Post
comment | Terms

60.
DO NOT EDUCATE ! REPATRIATE !!!
ALEX
SANDOR - CANADA (03/19/2007 15:35)

59.
TAboo #28
cav - canada (03/19/2007
15:13)

58.
#48 which god would this be?
cav -
canada (03/19/2007 15:03)

57.
Is the cup half emty or half
full?
Frank Molnar - USA (03/19/2007
14:20)

56.
Modern Israel was a denial of the Holocaust -
unfortunately, Israelis have forgotten why and
how it happened
Richard - USA
(03/19/2007 13:53)

55.
Historical Fact
K.Smith - USA
(03/19/2007 13:39)

54.
#11 JJ
Martin - Sweden (03/19/2007
13:22)

53.
Arab Holocaust denial needs a
lesson!
Isaac Haskiya - Denmark
(03/19/2007 09:29)

52.
And 100% of them want to destroy Israel as a
Jewish state?
Alexander - Latvia
(03/19/2007 09:11)

51.
What an ignoramous
Brett - SOUTH
AFRICA (03/19/2007 08:17)

50.
Arabs deny Holocaust
Sylus -
(03/19/2007 08:14)

49.
arabs deny holocaust
vicky - Israel
(03/19/2007 08:14)

48.
Holocaut Denial
Castor Troy -
(03/19/2007 07:51)

47.
Discuss what? - responce to 38
Yafo
Dalet - (03/19/2007 07:40)

46.
thinking about comment #12
Yafo Dalet
- (03/19/2007 07:31)

45.
Arabs in Israel
Amir - Canada
(03/19/2007 06:34)

44.
TWO SOLITUDES
georgepeter HERMAN -
Canada (03/19/2007 05:53)

43.
Deport them before they deport
you.
Richard - USA (03/19/2007 05:18)

42.
No easy solution
nobleday - U.S.A.
(03/19/2007 05:11)

41.
5th Column
DJ - USA (03/19/2007
04:56)

40.
You all ae making too much of this Holocaust
denial. People believe all kinds of dumb things.
How about - most of the Arabs moved into
Palestine to
Apartheid - USA
(03/19/2007 04:04)

39.
What pollsters forgot to ask
is
geezee - USA (03/19/2007 04:04)

38.
Taboo--response to 28
JJ - Canada
(03/19/2007 03:50)

37.
then they must be told that is not sign of loyal
citizen, and their parties and leftists harm
them by marginilizing them
ralph -
(03/19/2007 03:49)

36.
Frightening and dissapointing
article
Gershon ben David - Australia
(03/19/2007 03:31)

35.
A Hard Look...
Roy - USA (03/19/2007
03:30)

34.
#12 Mustafa--You are an idiot--6,000,000 Jews
murdered=not having a state?
RickE
USA - USA (03/19/2007 03:09)

33.
They must go!
ross - USA (03/19/2007
02:56)

32.
A no brainer
Ron - (03/19/2007 01:51)

31.
If Israel is not your home, go
home!
elf - Switzerland (03/19/2007
01:45)

More...

Print

E-mail

Subscribe

ISRAEL

[ more
» ]

Parents
to Peretz: Postpone enlistment

MK
Sarsour calls Muslims to free J'lem

'Egypt
killed dozens of Israeli POWs'

IDF:
We did cooperate with UNFIL over munitions in
Lebanon

'She
left my son on the
battlefield'

Israeli
Arabs seek cover during a rocket attack during the summer's war with
Hizbullah.
Photo: AP

Advertisement

Hendel:
Evict Arab MKs from Knesset
Comments:
79

Israelis
favor talks with new PA gov't
Comments:
65

'28%
of Israel's Arabs deny
Holocaust'
Comments:
60

JPost
Sites:

JPost Store · Dating · America's Voices · JPost Français ·
The Jerusalem
Report

Sponsored Links:

Car
Donations · Car Hire · Donate Vehicle · Fundraising
Ideas · Web Hosting Providers · Web Hosting · Donate Car · Israeli Poster
Center · Make Money Online · Shopping · Intranet
software · Cheap Flights UK · Consumer Electronics B2B · Dental Plans ·
Classified ads · Tavla Indir ·
Student loans
& college tools · Prom dresses and gowns · The
future of music · Maps of Israel · Free Downloads
Archive · Cash Advance · Prom Dresses Jovani

Services:

Print Edition · JPost
CD-Rom · Subscriptions · Print Classifieds · Careers ·
E-mail
Edition · Archives · ePaper · JPost
Toolbar · News Ticker · Israel Alert · Podcasts · AllJobs
Israel · Christian Edition · Youth Magazines

JPost Guides:

Dating & Relationships · Israel Programs · Charitable Funds

Information:

About
Us · Feedback ·
Media Kit · Sales
·  Staff
E-mails · Privacy
Statement · Copyright
· Terms of
Use

© 1995 - 2007 The Jerusalem Post. All
rights reserved.
About
Us | Media Kit | Advertise with
Us | Subscribe | Contact Us