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What is the biggest election issue for Arab citizens of Israel? An end to violent crime on their streets, they say—not, in other words, the future of Palestine.

Seventy-four percent of respondents said violence and crime was their biggest concern, while 7.6 percent noted the importance of resolving the Israel-Palestine crisis, according to a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation at the Moshe Dayan Center in Tel Aviv.

What is the biggest election issue for Arab citizens of Israel? An end to violent crime on their streets, they say—not, in other words, the future of Palestine.

Seventy-four percent of respondents said violence and crime was their biggest concern, while 7.6 percent noted the importance of resolving the Israel-Palestine crisis, according to a recent survey conducted on behalf of the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation at the Moshe Dayan Center in Tel Aviv.

That does not mean they have abandoned the Palestinian cause, but they are instead making pragmatic decisions and no longer tying their daily well-being to a resolution that appears improbable in the current atmosphere in Israel. A majority of Israeli Jews oppose a two-state solution in the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

The more urgent needs of Israel’s Arab citizens—a fifth of the total population—are better policing, better education, and more housing.

“You cannot solve all problems at once,” said Arik Rudnitzky, the author of the survey and a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, in reference to attitudes among Arab citizens of the country. “The question is how long can Arab citizens wait for this external conflict to be resolved before focusing on how best to meet their daily needs.”

Arab citizens of Israel want to play a larger role in Israeli politics, seeking not mere representation in the Knesset but a seat at the table in the new government. An overwhelming 77 percent support the inclusion of an Arab party in the next government’s coalition.

Mansour Abbas, the leader of Ra’am—the most conservative Arab party in Israel—has presented his political group as a potential coalition partner to whomever is prepared to tame criminals and offer more to Israel’s Arab citizens.

But, at a time when mistrust between Arabs and Jews runs especially deep, whether Arab Israelis will be allowed to take part in governing the country may be a decisive........

© Foreign Policy