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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.
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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
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  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