Majority of Jewish Israelis and Arab Israelis would not choose to emigrate if given the opportunity. Photo: Dave Bender

JNS.org – Despite a decrease in the trust Israelis have in police, government and political parties in their country, a strong majority (84 percent) of Jewish Israelis and Arab Israelis would not choose to emigrate if given the opportunity, findings from the annual Israeli Democracy Index survey revealed.

In the Israel Democracy Institute think tank’s survey of 1,019 adults, Arab trust in Israeli police decreased from 56.9 percent last year to 43.7 percent, and Jewish trust was down from 45 percent to 42 percent. Trust in Israeli political parties and the Knesset legislature was also low among respondents, but both Arab and Jewish citizens had higher levels of trust than last year in the IDF, the media, the health care system, the Supreme Court, and the Israeli president.

A majority of Jewish respondents (60.8 percent) favored limiting the right to vote in Knesset elections and to be elected to the Knesset to those who show allegiance to the State of Israel, reflecting respondents’ concern about the anti-Israel rhetoric coming from some lawmakers in the Joint Arab List political party.