Relations between Jewish Israelis and citizens of the Arab minority are plummeting, with each side losing faith in coexistence and becoming less tolerant of the other, according to a key survey.
The latest poll overseen by Haifa University sociologist Sammy Smooha, who has chronicled the attitudes of Israeli Arabs and Jews toward each other annually since 1976, found Arabs increasingly questioning the legitimacy of the state and Jews were more wary of having Arabs as neighbours compared to results two years ago. The survey of 700 Jews and 700 Arabs was taken between May and August 2017.
While 60.3 percent of Arab respondents accepted Israel as a state with a Jewish majority in 2015, in the new survey only 44.6 percent did. And those accepting Israel as a state with Hebrew as the dominant language dropped from 63.4 percent in 2015 to 49.7 percent in 2017. Those who accepted Israel's application of the Law of Return, which confers automatic citizenship on Jewish immigrants, also dropped from 39 percent to 25.2 percent.
The poll appeared to confirm that policies of the right-wing government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are not only undermining chances of a peaceful solution with the Palestinians in the occupied territories, they are also further fraying the intercommunal fabric inside Israel itself, creating uncertainty about the future of relations between Arab and Jewish citizens.
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But defenders of the government instead say it is incitement by Arab leaders and violence by Arabs that are harming relations, saying steps to improve the latter's economic situation have been taken.
Moreover, worsening prospects for ending the occupation and establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel do not augur well for relations between Arab and Jewish citizens. The two communities veered in opposite directions over Donald Trump's December recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, with most Israeli Jews celebrating or welcoming the move while thousands of Arab citizens turned out for a protest in the northern town of Sakhnin.
The Arab minority - one fifth of Israel's population - comprises Palestinians who did not flee or were not expelled at Israel's creation in 1948 and their descendants. They have the right to vote and have representatives in parliament but have traditionally faced discrimination in planning, land use, employment and government budgets. In recent years verbal attacks against Arabs, such as an infamous comment on election day in 2015 by Mr Netanyahu saying they were flowing to ballot stations in "droves", a legislative push adversely affecting them and threatening to implicitly define them as second class citizens are seen as contributing to a hardening of Arab attitudes. The demolition of Arab homes built without permits - which are difficult or often impossible to obtain - also breeds bitterness.
Sami Abu Shehadeh, a former member of the Tel Aviv—Jaffa municipal council, said: "Unfortunately, we are seeing the current government leading us into a much worse situation in relations with continuous incitement against Arabs that affects the way the Jewish majority deals with the Arab minority. So things don't look promising."
Thabet Abu Rass, co-director of the Abraham Fund Initiatives that promotes equality for Arab citizens, said that although the government's "political discourse is very poisonous" the overall situation is more complex.
"There are more Arab doctors, nurses and pharmacists, 70,000 Arab students are studying in Israeli colleges and universities," he said. "Members of the Arab middle class are moving into Jewish cities. We have to see the complex picture and point to the good that is happening. I think we are heading in the right direction."
But Mr Smooha, an Iraqi-born Jew and laureate of the Israel Prize, in sociology, termed as "grave" what his poll shows as the negative shift in Jewish perspectives on Arabs.
The percentage of Jewish respondents who recognise the right of Arabs to live in the country as a minority with full citizens' rights declined from 79.7 percent in 2015 to 73.8 percent today. The number of Jews willing to have Arab pupils in their schools dropped from 57.5 percent to 51.6 percent. Those refusing to have Arab neighbours rose from 41 percent to 48 percent and the percentage of Jews who decline to enter Arab communities climbed from 59.3 percent to 63.7 percent.
"Over the years I didn't see such a tangible change on the part of the Jews. And here there is a real turn," he said, faulting the government for verbal attacks on minority Arabs, such as when public security minister Gilad Erdan blamed them for a spate of forest fires in 2016.
But he also said the diplomatic stalemate, a surge of Palestinian violence in 2015 and actions by Arab members of parliament such as MP Basel Ghattas's attempt last year to smuggle mobile phones to Palestinian security prisoners had contributed to a hardening of Jewish attitudes.
An alarming finding in the survey was that 67.3 percent of Jewish respondents support efforts within the ruling coalition to pass the Israel as Nation State of the Jewish People bill seen as prioritising the Jewish aspects of Israeli statehood over democracy.
"It appears that most of the Jewish public except for a small minority supports subordinating democracy to the Jewish character of the state and thereby worsening the status of the Arab minority." Mr Smooha said.
Passage of the law would "strengthen the message to Arabs that they are second class citizens and that the state belongs to the Jews."
Despite the survey's findings "a strong infrastructure for coexistence continues to exist", according to Mr Smooha.
The number of Arab respondents who thought Israel is a good place to live remained high - 61.9 percent compared to 64 percent in 2015. And those who said they prefer living in Israel over any other country actually rose, from 58.8 percent in 2015 to 60 percent in 2017. Asked whether they would be willing to move to a future Palestinian state, 77.4 percent said no in the current survey, compared with 72.2 percent in 2015.
"Neither side wants to break the rules of the game," Smooha said.
"The Arab minority continues to attach its fate to the state."
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
25%20Days%20to%20Aden
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
The%20specs
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
How Sputnik V works
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
