The University’s National Security Studies Center has been making news with a series of timely survey.  Here are the results of several of these investigations.

Estrangement between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs is growing. The survey producing these results was conducted in October 2001, one year after the riots in several Arab communities in Israel.  Findings, published in December 2001:

• 59% of the Jewish public say that the behavior of Israeli Arabs is a main cause of tension between the two populations.  *Most respondents, Jews and Arabs alike, are not interested in having members of the other community living in their neighborhood. 

• The support of political violence among the Arab population in Israel is higher on average than among the Jewish population.

• The perceptions of the population within the so-called green line are very close to those of the settlers in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza on support for violence to attain political goals.

Motivation of civilians to serve reserve duty seems to be growing.  Despite the headlines made by reservists who refuse to serve in Judea and Samaria, this survey found the following in spring 2002:

• There was a 50% increase in motivation to serve in the reserves over the level found in 2000.

• The percentage that preferred combat duty rose to 73% from the 2000 figure of 59%. The researchers attributed the higher figures to the conflict; when the state is faced with threats, there is a tendency to unit.  One Israeli manifestation of this unity is found in the rising level of motivation to do reserve duty, according to the researchers.

The Israeli public’s faith in some of the institutions of the State is being undermined.

• Most political institutions, among them the Knesset and the political parties, do not gain favor in the public’s eye.

• The religious population, especially the Ultra-Orthodox, put no faith in the Supreme Court or in the media.

• The police gain a low level of trust, compared to other security institutions. Surprisingly, though, Israeli Arabs showed an improvement in the level of confidence they placed in the police during 2001.

• The other security institutions earn a little higher faith (with 75% of the population expressing trust in them).

• The IDF merits the most trust.

• Among the various political institutions, the Supreme Court gains the most trust.

The comparative survey was made three times: in October 2000, during the Barak government; April 2001, at the height of the riots in Samaria; and November 2001, during the period of terror attacks.

The characteristics of Palestinian terrorism in Israel, 1948-2002, showed a total of 2,434 incidents.

• There was an increase of over 300% in the number of suicide bombings in 2001 compared to the 1990s.

• In 2002, suicide bombings became a widespread form of warfare.

• There was an increase in 2000-2001 in the average number of victims per incident, compared to the 1980s and 1990s.

• The first quarter of 2002 showed a 23% increase in terror incidents within the so-called Green Line compared to the 1990s.

• The most targeted area for terror attacks is Jerusalem.

• Most of the terrorists in the past fifty years came from the Fatah organization, the exception being the 1990s, when Hamas supplied the most terrorists.

• The most common terrorist weapon is the gun.

The national (inner) strength of the State, October 2000-May 2002, remains firm:

• In May 2002, the feeling of security among the Jewish public was 8% higher than in April 2001.

• The Jewish public is more afraid of being hurt in a terror attack than is the Arab public (82% vs. 69%), but the latter feels slightly less secure than the former.

• The Israeli Jewish public demonstrated more patriotism relative to previous periods. It also afforded more trust to the government on security matters than in previous periods.

• Only a third of the Israeli Arab public declared a love for Israel, but two thirds nevertheless stated they had no intention of leaving the country.

• New immigrants take a very hard, militant line on security issues.

Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed one of the National Security Studies Center forums. Prof. Gabriel Ben-Dor, head of the Center, listens closely.