Peace Index Plummets

Peace Index: November 2006

Prof. Ephraim Yaar and Prof. Tamar Hermann

And these are the main findings of the Peace Index survey that was carried out on 28-29 November 2006:

Expectations that the present ceasefire will lead to calm in the region are very low, apparently because of the prevailing view in the Israeli- Jewish public that the Palestinians will most likely violate the truce. It is commonly believed that Israel agreed to the ceasefire— even though its real implication is negotiating with Hamas—because the military measures that were taken did not stop the Qassam fire. At the same time, a clear majority rejects the idea that Israel should reoccupy the Gaza Strip even if it is the only way to end the shelling. Moreover, now as in the past we found broad support for holding talks with the Palestinian Authority despite the fact that only a minority believes it would eventually lead to a peace agreement.

There is sweeping criticism, cutting across the camps, for how the government has
dealt with the residents of Sderot and the other communities subjected to Qassam fire.

Nevertheless, the majority rejects the idea of evacuating the Sderot residents from
their homes, or evacuating just their children. Given the criticism of the government’s failures, it is no surprise that the majority supports the involvement of businesspeople like Arkady Gaydamak in giving aid to the residents, although there is disagreement about their motives. Essentially, though, a broad consensus believes it is the state and not civic bodies that should tend to a wide variety of social needs.

When it comes to assessing the role of major institutions, governmental and
extragovernmental, in terms of their contribution to Israeli society, it turns out the public clearly distinguishes between institutions it sees as doing more harm than good and vice versa. The institutions whose contribution was seen as more positive than negative included the universities, the civil society organizations, the IDF, and the High Court of Justice; the political parties, the Knesset, the banks, and the Chief Rabbinate are seen as playing more of a negative role. For two institutions, the police and the media, the assessments are quite balanced with a slight leaning to the positive side.