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Last update - 19:28 29/04/2007 Poll: 75% of Israeli Arabs support Jewish, democratic constitution By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent A vast majority of Israeli Arabs would support a constitution that maintained Israel's status as a Jewish and democratic state while guaranteeing equal rights for minorities, according to a poll whose results were published on Sunday. Among the 507 people who participated in the poll, some 75 percent said they would agree with such a definition while 23 percent said they would oppose it. Advertisement The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), a non-partisan research institute who commissioned the poll, said the results were proof that a constitution that maintained Israel's status as a Jewish and democratic state could win the support of the Israeli Arab public. Over the past year a number of Israeli Arab organizations, such as Adalah and the Mossawa Center, have published plans calling for a new "multi-cultural" constitution. The poll's finding also revealed support for such a constitution among Israeli Arabs has eroded in recent years. In 2004, some 55 percent of those in favor of such a constitution said they felt strongly about their position while in 2007 only 34 percent said they did. Israeli Arab support for a constitution in general stands at 88 percent, with 72 percent saying they feel equality should be prominently featured in the text. IDI Managing-Director Amir Abramovich said the results prove that an agreement on a constitution, based on the principle of a Jewish and democratic Israel, is possible. "We have been in dialogue with the Arab public for years in order to reach an agreement," he said Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hezbollah scare Lebanese group's influence has dramatically increased in the West Bank. Literary boycott Peres calls Muslim countries' shunning of Paris Book Fair 'most ridiculous.'   1.   Poll: 75% of Israeli Arabs support Jewish, democratic constitutio 18:55  |  Bill Foonman 29/04/07   2.   The other opinion 19:28  |  Arjun Ramesh Hardas 29/04/07   3.   Bill Foonman from Jacksonville 19:28  |  Omar 29/04/07   4.   how can a free person freely agress beeing inferior to others? 19:28  |  arab 29/04/07   5.   Statistically.... 19:34  |  Dave 29/04/07   6.   in no way "inferior" or "subordinate" 19:38  |  Serge 29/04/07   7.   this is good news 19:46  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 29/04/07   8.   #2 Mr Hardass India 19:50  |  Sel 29/04/07   9.   #4 Arab 19:58  |  sel 29/04/07   10.   Jewish and Democratic is oxymoron 20:22  |  Khalid 29/04/07   11.   government 20:26  |  roberta 29/04/07   12.   This is not a matter of culture or language.. 20:26  |  Non-Jewish citizen 29/04/07   13.   Another 75% of Palestinians in PA will vote to become Israelis 20:29  |  El-birawi 29/04/07   14.   foonman 21:08  |  reuben jacobs 29/04/07   15.   #10 khalid 21:14  |  reuben jacobs 29/04/07   16.   #2 Arjun Ramesh Hardas 21:15  |  * BEN JABO 29/04/07   17.   Time for normalization 21:16  |  Adam 29/04/07   18.   #4 arab 21:17  |  reuben jacobs 29/04/07   19.   I am pleasantly surprised 21:30  |  David Teich 29/04/07   20.   Omar #3 21:37  |  Avi Yerushalmi 29/04/07   21.   Israeli Arabs 21:40  |  Connie 29/04/07   22.   #4 21:40  |  Avi Yerushalmi 29/04/07   23.   You relocate 21:41  |  MD 29/04/07   24.   Reuben Jacobs..you are dishonest 21:42  |  Khalid 29/04/07   25.   constitution 21:44  |  michel 29/04/07   26.   reuben jacobs....because Jews practiced 21:45  |  Kurd 29/04/07   27.   Sel...you speak of Hamas..but you forget the 21:48  |  Italian 29/04/07   28.   #20 Avi 22:02  |  Uriel 29/04/07   29.   #20 22:05  |  barbara k 29/04/07   30.   Lacking a Constitution 22:06  |  F. Natour 29/04/07   31.   to khalid on the right to a jewish democratic constitution 22:34  |  AP 29/04/07   32.   To the Muslim hypocrites on this forum 22:35  |  David G 29/04/07   33.   #27 Italian 22:37  |  sel 29/04/07   34.   Uriel and Barbara K - name me a black american president 22:47  |  British academic 29/04/07   35.   Lacking a Constitution- Cont. 22:55  |  F. Natour 29/04/07   36.   Statistically (2) 23:01  |  Mark 29/04/07   37.   What a pack of lies, made up to deflect from Arab perfidy 23:13  |  Sweetie 29/04/07   38.   Also be nice to Gazans so we can leaseback Israel from them 23:18  |  Alan SA 29/04/07   39.   Uriel #28 23:23  |  Avi Yerushalmi 29/04/07   40.   Arab #4 - Fear is natural for you since you are muslim 23:32  |  Johnny 29/04/07   41.   Barbara #29 23:41  |  Avi Yerushalmi 29/04/07   42.   75% have the right to have the israeli citizenship 23:55  |  Joe 29/04/07   43.   Jewish State Best Guarantees Rights of Arabs 23:56  |  Brad 29/04/07   44.   #4 Palestinian Arab 00:48  |  B`Galil 30/04/07   45.   Fine. Great. Sign it into law right away 00:59  |  Gili 30/04/07   46.   # 19 David Teich. SURPRISED,AND PLEASANTLY? 01:27  |  Kath` 30/04/07   47.   # 7 Cipora Julianna Kohn. HAHAHAHAH 01:32  |  Kath` 30/04/07   48.   Khaled, think about it 01:37  |  Serge 30/04/07   49.   Dave #5 01:46  |  statistician 30/04/07   50.   El-birawi # 13 Not Millions 01:51  |  Jeff Northridge 30/04/07   51.   British citizen 30 02:00  |  barbara k 30/04/07   52.   at least they collected data 02:01  |  Z 30/04/07   53.   # 11 roberta. AND WHAT UNITY OF GOVERNMENT WOULD THAT BE?? 02:02  |  Kath` 30/04/07   54.   what a democracy 02:13  |  Southern Lebanon 30/04/07   55.   # 12 Non-Jewish citizen. CURIOUS??? 02:19  |  Kath` 30/04/07   56.   "Italian" #27: Last holdout of Islamic terror nut-lickers 02:24  |  Aaron 30/04/07   57.   who will draw up this constitution 02:27  |  zionist forever 30/04/07   58.   khalid - 10 02:32  |  zionist forever 30/04/07   59.   #26 02:36  |  reuben jacobs 30/04/07   60.   75% is astonishing (not) 02:44  |  Joel in Albany 30/04/07   61.   #24 Khalid 02:45  |  reuben jacobs 30/04/07   62.   Jews support division of religion/state everywhere else 02:52  |  Tim 30/04/07   63.   75% 02:57  |  freedom 30/04/07   64.   David Teich # 19 Yes, Differentiation Does Apply 03:06  |  Jeff Northridge 30/04/07   65.   WHAT DEMOCRATY 03:10  |  JOSE 30/04/07   66.   I had a hunch this was the case & certainly good news 03:16  |  Smadar 30/04/07   67.   poll 03:20  |  me and you 30/04/07   68.   May be transitional constitution 03:24  |  Bruce 30/04/07   69.   khalid you are disengenuous 03:28  |  jeremy 30/04/07   70.   Gili # 31 Read It Before You Sign It 03:29  |  Jeff Northridge 30/04/07   71.   "KURD" ? You keep alluding to Chesronot Shass but never actually 03:41  |  PETER SM 30/04/07   72.   I cannot believe that Israel DOES NOT have a constitution 04:05  |  American 30/04/07   73.   chomsky 04:32  |  mobydoc 30/04/07   74.   Great news that goes to show.. 05:25  |  Rami 30/04/07   75.   not enough we must do more but they must also vote that way not 06:04  |  ralph 30/04/07   76.   American # 66 Constitutions 06:52  |  Jeff Northridge 30/04/07   77.   Avi Yerushalmi we were on 2 difft pages 07:00  |  Omar 30/04/07   78.   Brtitish Aca #30 07:11  |  Willy 30/04/07   79.   PETER SM 07:36  |  FLOWER 30/04/07   80.   Sure...of course! 07:53  |  Nechama 30/04/07   81.   Sure, of course they would 07:54  |  Nechama 30/04/07   82.   TO Kath - # 12 Non-Jewish citizen. CURIOUS??? 07:56  |  Steve Beikirch 30/04/07   83.   question to Haaretz 08:01  |  occasional poster 30/04/07   84.   TO American 08:06  |  Steve Beikirch 30/04/07   85.   Oxymorons & Khalid 08:42  |  david 30/04/07   86.   To david of tucson, 85 09:47  |  Intellectual 30/04/07   87.   shame on you, italian 10:45  |  debora 30/04/07   88.   Fake poll 16:33  |  Gene 30/04/07   89.   #84 Steve Beikirch 02:12  |  * BEN JABO 01/05/07   90.   #12 Non-Jewish Citizen - I truly wonder 02:17  |  * BEN JABO 01/05/07   91.   #82 Steve Biekirch 02:22  |  * BEN JABO 01/05/07   92.   TO BEN JABO 07:38  |  Steve Beikirch 01/05/07   93.   #92 Steve Biekirch 19:39  |  * BEN JABO 01/05/07   94.   Can a "jewish state" really be democratic? 11:49  |  Daniel 25/06/07   95.   Israel`s identity 23:05  |  Ben Azai 23/10/07   96.   Steve re: To American #84 21:18  |  William 04/12/07   97.   Khalid - how can U be so right in post 24 and so wrong in 10? 21:57  |  Polybios 04/12/07   98.   #12 I feel the same way in Canada 08:04  |  Gili 19/02/08   99.   Oxymoron? 04:22  |  Z 14/03/08

Today Online Abbas accuses Israel of 'ethnic cleansing' in Jerusalem Responses: 254 At least 30 Qassam rockets fired into Israel from Gaza since Wed. Responses: 209 Amira Hass: PA officials should act more like Gandhi Responses: 90 Poll: Half of Jewish public oppose Arabs in their neighborhoods Responses: 133 Wagner show in Nazi-era hall to raise funds for Ramallah venue Responses: 84 Rosner's Domain If you marry them, you have a better chance of keeping them State Department: UN measures fuel anti-Semitism (WTR) General Fraser and the third whiner Major setback for Hamas? (WTR) Israeli leadership: A mixture of paranoia and luck More Headlines 04:10 Negev slammed by rockets; IDF: Lull appears to be over 22:13 Israel Bank intervenes in foreign currency market, buys dollars 01:35 Israel and France have a second honeymoon as Peres visits Sarkozy 02:39 Deputy TA mayor: Gov't reneges on promise to help refugees 01:01 Police arrest rabbi for 'inciting Palestinians' in East Jerusalem 20:56 Jerusalem yeshiva commemorates 8 students slain in terror attack 19:07 Ban: Israel must halt 'excessive force' against Palestinians 03:57 State Dept. reports rise in global anti-Semitism over last decade 02:22 Jerusalem parents held in suspicion of torturing 3- and 4-year-old boys 02:48 Israel falls behind the times in having woman parliamentarians 04:17 Mother of Mercaz Harav victim backs 'political use' of son's murder 00:43 Rubinstein competition / Exalted strokes outweigh the flaws 23:17 Traffic cop jailed for shooting at drivers who refused to pull over Previous Editions Select Day 13 mar 12 mar 11 mar 10 mar 09 mar 07 mar 06 mar 05 mar 04 mar 03 mar 02 mar 29 feb

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