Assessing Israel's Record on Human Rights

Using public opinion data, this article examines Israeli Jewish and Arab attitudes toward and support for various aspects of civil liberties, such as the right to express unpopular beliefs and to engage in acts of protest. It also contrasts public attitudes with the Israeli system of law and justice and with Israeli responses to the uprising in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza. The public opinion data show Israelis to be similar to Americans in their attitudes toward many civil liberty issues. The data also show differences between Jewish and Arab responses in their satisfaction with the way democracy works in Israel. Current Israeli practices on the West Bank and in Gaza involving violations of human rights such as the destruction of Arab homes, sending writers and intellectuals into exile, and invoking censorship and curfews are juxtaposed with the public opinion data. The author concludes that due process, adherence to the rule of law, and tolerance for unpopular ideas are not usually honored when a society believes it must respond to external threats to its security.