| ISBN: 978-1-55587-308-0 $9.95 | ||
| 1992/62 pages/LC: 91-43887 An Israel Democracy Institute Policy Study | ||
Ever since 1967, the long and bitter debate in Israel over the fate of the occupied territories and, more broadly, a just resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict has polarized public opinion, with the differences perceived as existential. Peres and Yuchtman-Yaar explore to what extent and with what mechanisms Israeli democracy copes with this pressure. Can extreme solutions—annexation of Palestinian lands on the one side, the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state on the other—be integrated into a system of public debate, free elections, and the rule of law? Which sectors of the population are imbued with the ideology of democracy, and which sectors give priority to other goals or needs?
The authors investigate these issues, drawing on a series of public opinion surveys conducted in 1987 through early 1991. They also discuss the fairly predictable impact of four years of intifada on Israeli democratic attitudes, in contrast to the surprising reaction to the Gulf War and the Iraqi missile attacks.
"This type of thought-provoking analysis clearly serves a valuable function in any democratic society, and many readers will want to own a copy of their own."—Shofar
"All those with an interest in the future of the Israeli polity should consult this monograph as a useful source for interpretive guidance."—International Journal of Middle East Studies