Jews and Arabs in Israel: Everybody hates somebody, sometime

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.