Abstract
This article explores the patterns of political tolerance and intolerance among Jews and Arabs, patterns that are largely structured by the broader conflict. The two groups are characterized by “focused intolerance.” Both groups are generally intolerant, and the targets of their intolerance are highly concentrated and provide a mirror image of one another. The Arabs overwhelmingly select targets from among Jewish right-wing groups, and Jews select theirs from among Arab left-wing groups. Intolerance usually arises from perceptions of extreme threat, but it may be mitigated by a strong belief in the norms of democracy and minority rights. The Israeli context provides for the requisite threat but does not encourage the counterbalancing support for abstract norms that can be applied directly to the conflict at hand.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 283-305 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| Journal | Journal of Conflict Resolution |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1985 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The questionnaire for the Jewish sample was in Hebrew, and the interviewers were Jewish. For the Arab sample the questionnaire was in Arabic, and the interviewers were Arabs. The Arabic version of the questionnaire was written by using the technique of double translation—from Hebrew to Arabic, and then by another translator from Arabic back to Hebrew—so as to arrive at similar meaning and substantive, not literal, translation. For more details on sampling and measurement considerations, see Shamir and Sullivan (1982). This analysis is part of a broader comparative study of tolerance, supported by the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation. The results of the comparative analysis of the United States and Israel (Jewish sample) are reported elsewhere (Shamir and Sullivan, 1983).
Funding
The questionnaire for the Jewish sample was in Hebrew, and the interviewers were Jewish. For the Arab sample the questionnaire was in Arabic, and the interviewers were Arabs. The Arabic version of the questionnaire was written by using the technique of double translation—from Hebrew to Arabic, and then by another translator from Arabic back to Hebrew—so as to arrive at similar meaning and substantive, not literal, translation. For more details on sampling and measurement considerations, see Shamir and Sullivan (1982). This analysis is part of a broader comparative study of tolerance, supported by the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation. The results of the comparative analysis of the United States and Israel (Jewish sample) are reported elsewhere (Shamir and Sullivan, 1983).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation |