Poll: Jordanian hate for Israel reaches psychotic levels

A new survey of Jordanians by the Washington Institute reveals that Jordanian hate for Israel reaches the level of self-harm.

The Washington Institute’s Program on Arab Politics/Fikra Forum regularly surveys the Arab world. Its latest poll shows that Jordanians remain implacably anti-Israel and would rather Jordan suffer than allow even the most beneficial ties with the hated Jewish state.

84% of Jordanians across all age groups are opposed to having business deals with Israeli companies even if it would help their economy. 

Previous polls do not seem to have asked similar questions in quite the same way; in 2020 89% disagreed that "people who want to have business or sports contacts with Israelis should be allowed to do so." But that question was worded that the only person to lose out would be the would-be businessperson; here they were asked if they themselves would prefer to have a worse economy rather than allowing business deals with Israeli (meaning Jewish-owned Israeli) companies.

The psychosis gets even worse in the answer to the question of whether, in case of a natural disaster like an earthquake, Arab countries should refuse aid from Israel. 76% agreed with that statement, meaning that they are willing to sacrifice their own or other Arab lives rather than even see Israelis helping them.

This is beyond spite. With spite, there is at least the concept that one's pain is worth the satisfaction of hurting the other party. But refusing aid does not hurt Israel in the least - the only victims are the refusers themselves.

This cannot be explained by standard psychological descriptions of racism or hate. Very few racists would walk out of the hospital when they see the doctor about to treat them is of another race. In that case, self-preservation would trump racism; for Jordanians the hate overcomes the bigotry. How can that be?

As with much else in the Middle East, it can be explained by another framework: that of the honor/shame mentality. To allow themselves to be helped by the hated Israelis - again, exclusively meaning Israeli Jews - would be an affront to the Arab honor, because it means that the Jews can provide something they cannot provide adequately themselves. Accepting aid from people they consider inferior dhimmis is shameful, and that shame is more powerful than physical health, or economic gains, or human life itself. 

This is a fundamentally different type of antisemitic mindset than the ones we are familiar with in the Western world. And it is one that is barely dealt with in psychological texts, which often try to lump all kinds of bigotry and racism into the same bucket. 

The Jordanian response to this poll prove that Arab antisemitism, as expressed today, is different from that of traditional antisemites. Honor/shame is a powerful incentive that goes beyond the idea of self preservation. It cannot be combatted with outreach programs - it requires a fundamental change in the very way much of the Arab world thinks. 

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Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism  today at Amazon! Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.  Read all about it here!

 

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Poll: More East Jerusalem Arabs would prefer Israeli citizenship than Palestinian. 22% of WB Arabs support killing Jews worldwide.

One of the best polls of Palestinians has been that of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where they ask Palestinians questions that Palestinian pollsters tend to avoid.

The most recent poll finds that East Jerusalem Arabs have become far more moderate in the past two years. 

Today, half (48%) of the city’s Palestinian residents say that, if they had to make a choice, they would prefer to become citizens of Israel, rather than of a Palestinian state. From 2017 to early 2020, that figure hovered around just 20%.  Today, only a minority (43%) of East Jerusalemites say they would pick Palestine; while the remainder (9%) would opt for Jordanian citizenship.  Among West Bankers, the comparable figures are Israel, 25%; Palestine, 65%; Jordan, 10%.

Significantly, this sharp contrast is now evident on other, related questions as well.  For instance, in East Jerusalem, 63% agree at least “somewhat” with this purposely provocative statement: “It would be better for us if we were part of Israel, rather than in Palestinian Authority or Hamas ruled lands.”  In the West Bank, the corresponding figure is less than half that proportion (28%).

Interestingly, the "Jordanian option" which had not even been a consideration at all in previous polls has become significant. 

Another major divergence between Jerusalem Arabs and West Bank Arabs was the question,  “I hope some day we can be friends with Israelis, since we are all human beings after all.” 54% of Jerusalem Arabs agreed, compared to just 26% in the West Bank.

But when questions were phrased in emotional or religious terms, the Jerusalem Arabs were even more extreme than those in the West Bank:

 For example, 23% of East Jerusalem Palestinians agree “strongly” with this assertion:  “I sincerely worry that Israel wants to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque and harm our religion.”  An additional 46% agree “somewhat” with that sentiment.  Nineteen percent agree “strongly” that “we should demand Palestinian rule over all of Jerusalem, east and west, rather than share or divide any part of it with Israel”; an additional 45% offer lukewarm agreement, given that maximalist formulation.  Finally, this deliberately inflammatory hypothetical arouses the harshest responses:  “When I think about the occupation, I get so angry that I wish all Israelis would disappear.”  A large minority (41%) “strongly” agree, with another 33% “somewhat” agreeing as well.  

Support for violence across the board has lessened somewhat since the last poll in February 2020, but it is still quite significant - and under-reported. 

In the West Bank, there is little distinction between Israelis, "settlers" and security personnel. 53% support and 37% oppose attacks on Jews in Israel, and a similar percentage support attacking Israelis in the West Bank as well as Israeli soldiers or police. 

But a significant percentage - 23% - also support attacking tourists in Israel. 

And pure antisemitism is evident in the response to the question of whether it is good or bad to attack Jews anywhere in the world. 22% say it is good - half the number from 2020, but still more than one in five West Bank Arabs want to see Jews killed everywhere. 

This poll didn't include Gaza, which typically would be more extreme, meaning that at least a quarter of Palestinians support murdering Jews worldwide.

See if you can find that little fact reported in the mainstream media.

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Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism  today at Amazon! Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.  Read all about it here!

 

Read More