A third of Israelis called Jewish rioters ‘Israeli terrorists’ — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, one-third of respondents called Jewish participants in riots linked to recent violence in the West Bank village of Qusra “Israeli terrorists.” Another 18% described them as “nationalist criminals,” according to a Jewish People Policy Institute survey reported by the Jerusalem Post.
Institute president Yedidia Stern said that support among Israelis for Jewish rioters in the West Bank is “truly negligible,” amounting to 5%. According to him, more than half of respondents judge their actions harshly, calling them terrorists or criminals. Only 13% chose the two most lenient definitions: “young people who sometimes go too far” or “the salt of the earth.”
Differences by political views
Assessments differed significantly depending on political self-identification. Among left-wing respondents, 63% called the rioters “Israeli terrorists,” while 49% in the center and 3% on the right gave that answer.
The term “Israeli terrorists” was also used more often by Arab citizens of Israel: 55% of them gave this answer, compared with 27% of the country’s Jewish citizens.
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The incident in Qusra
The survey concerned a recent incident in Qusra. According to the Israeli military, dozens of masked Israelis arrived in the village in pickup trucks, threw stones at Palestinian residents and barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian home where family members were present. Several Palestinians were injured. After security forces arrived, the rioters fled and no arrests were made.
The incident occurred several weeks after another confrontation in Qusra, when Israeli settlers set up an unauthorized outpost near Palestinian homes. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee then called the episode a “horrific act of terror” aimed at intimidating and harassing families.
The survey was conducted on September 1–3 among 663 Jewish and 206 Arab respondents. The results were weighted to represent Israel’s adult population; the study’s margin of error was not specified.
