After 14 months of war in Gaza a new study reveals a significant transformation in how Arab citizens view themselves within Israeli society.
According to the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation, approximately 33.9% of Arab respondents cited their Israeli citizenship as their primary identity marker, while 29.2% prioritized religious affiliation, and 26.9% emphasized their Arab identity as most important to them.
Astonishingly, nearly 58% of Israeli Arabs now believe they share a common destiny with Jewish citizens. This represents a stark reversal from November 2023, when almost 70% of Israeli Arabs said the war had damaged Arab-Jewish solidarity.
“It cannot be ignored that a significant segment of Arab Israelis define their Israeli citizenship as the most important element in their personal identity,” says Dr. Arik Rudnitzky, project manager of the study.
“The upheavals and turbulence in the Middle East in recent months have boosted the Arab citizens’ appreciation for their Israeli citizenship. It appears that under the dark shadow cast by the war over all citizens of Israel, both Arabs and Jews, meaningful bright spots are emerging that could redefine the rules of the game in the post-war era.”
When asked who should govern Gaza after the war, support for Arab control has dropped significantly, with only 43.2% of Israeli Arabs now backing the notion compared to 58.5% in June 2024. Among those favoring Arab control, 20% support Palestinian Authority leadership, 15.8% prefer local Gazan entities, and a mere 6.7% still want Hamas to maintain power.
As for living in the Jewish State, about two-thirds report feeling unsafe in their Arab-dominated communities due to high crime rates, while a quarter point to the war as undermining their sense of security. Yet the data reveals a surprising economic resilience amongst Arab Israelis, with roughly two-thirds of respondents describing their financial situation as relatively stable.
