In July 2014, Mada researcher Dr. Aas Atrash conducted a survey of Palestinian citizens of Israel regarding opinions on government performance, ethnic discrimination, and attitudes toward negotiations between Palestinian leaders and the Israeli state.
Key findings:
- 35.4% of those polled classified the performance of the government as “bad” to “very bad” with regards to its treatment of Arab citizens.
- 42% stated that they have faced at least one racist experience.
- 67.3% disagreed with the statement “I feel that the government considers Palestinian citizens as equal with Jewish citizens.”
- 76% stated that the Likud government led by Benjamin Netanyahu was not interested in peace.
- 79.3% considered the “Lieberman Plan,” or the proposal to annex the central region of Israel known as “The Triangle” to a newly formed Palestinian state, to be racist.
- 68% rejected the notion that Palestinians should recognize Israel as a Jewish state in order to resume negotiations.
- 40.3% viewed the establishment of a bi-national state as a realistic political solution to the conflict.
- A mere 9% strongly agreed that a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be reached in the next five years.