Half of Jewish Israelis want to see Arab citizens expelled

About half of the Jewish Israelis support the expulsion or transfer of Israel's Arab minority, according to a comprehensive survey released on Tuesday.

The U.S.-based Pew Research Center's poll, called a first-of-its-kind, was based on personal interviews with 5,601 Israeli Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Druze.

President Reuven Rivlin, who was presented with the survey at a launching ceremony at his official residence in Jerusalem, said the findings were alarming.

"It points to the need to address our problems at home, more than ever," he urged in a statement released by his office.

According to the poll, 48 percent of the Jewish Israelis think that Arab citizens should be expelled or transferred from the county.

Israel's Arab minority makes about 20 percent of the population. They are the descendants of the Palestinians who stayed put on their lands during Israel's Independence War in 1948.

Additionally, 79 percent of the Israeli Jews said Jews deserve preferential treatment in Israel. The vast majority of the Israeli Arabs stated that they suffer discrimination while 74 percent of the Jews denied any discrimination against Arabs exists in Israel.

Both Arabs and Jews were pessimistic about the prospects for a two-state solution. About 43 percent of Israeli Jews believe a Palestinian state can co-exist peacefully alongside Israel. Half of the Arabs think it is a viable solution, a sharp drop from previous surveys.

The poll was released amid a six-month-long of Palestinian unrest, including frequent stabbing, shooting, and car-ramming attacks in Israel and the occupied West Bank. At least 175 Palestinians and 28 Israelis have been killed since October. Endit