Confusion in the Arab street

Haaretz reported today on a poll that may be of some interest to inquiring minds.

The poll's most dramatic finding was that 28 percent of local Arabs did not believe the Holocaust happened, and that among high-school and college graduates the figure was even higher: 33 percent.

I am not sure about the dramatic part: is it re the benefits of higher education?

Asked about Israel's war in Lebanon last summer, 48 percent of the Israeli Arabs polled said they believe Hezbollah's rocket attacks on northern Israel during that war were justified, even though numerous Arabs were killed and wounded as well.

While 89 percent said they view Israel's bombing of Lebanon as a war crime, only 44 percent said they see Hezbollah's attacks on Israel as such.

Er... so what is the big deal? If I do not like somebody, it makes it easier to say things about him/her... There must be some reason for the people polled to dislike us, obviously. And the following statement, no matter how absurd it may seem, only follows in the steps of the previous ones:

Half of Israeli Arab respondents said Hezbollah's capture of the two Israeli soldiers, which sparked the fighting, was justified.

Why? I am not sure this question was in the questionnaire. But could the reason why be that the Israeli Arab chieftains are brainwashing them quite relentlessly, like this:

MK Ahmed Tibi said he doubted some of the findings and said he cannot explain the numbers indicating support for Hezbollah, although he noted that usually there is no empathy for the aggressor, which he said was Israel.

So - the learned Dr. Tibi cannot explain the numbers, but he can easily finger the aggressor, you see.

But, after all, it is not that straightforward as it may have looked to you to start with. Here comes the really mind-boggling part:

The poll also found that Israeli Arabs worry about their future: 62 percent worry that Israel could transfer their communities to the jurisdiction of a future Palestinian state. 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.

Somebody is mightily confused here. And I suspect it is not me... Yeah.

And, since confusion was mentioned:


Cross-posted on Yourish.com

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