Givat Haviva Partnership Index: Jewish-Arab Partnership

Givat Haviva Partnership Index: Jewish-Arab Partnership

January 6, 2026 – Givat Haviva, Israel – The findings of the annual Givat Haviva Partnership Index reveal a complex social picture. The Index, now in its third year, examines Jewish-Arab relations in Israel. About two years after the events of October 7 and with the end of the war in Gaza, there is a visible deterioration in trust and pessimism about the feasibility of living together, especially among Jews, along with greater optimism among Arabs.

With this, in public spaces, primarily in the labor market and universities, there is a growing willingness to meet members of the other group among Jews and even more so among Arabs. In their personal space, Jews are much more reserved, but about half still express a current or future willingness to befriend members of the other group, while most Arabs are ready for friendship with Jews in Israel.

"The data shows that the labor market and campuses are the main door to Jewish-Arab partnership. The increase in the Jewish public’s willingness to work and study together is important news - this is where daily encounters are created,” said Givat Haviva CEO Michal Sella. “The complexity we see, of relative openness at work and reluctance on a personal level, is an invitation for us as a society to invest in building trust. The fact that less than a third of Jews are ready for friendly relations with Arabs, but another fifth indicate that they may be ready in the future, is precisely the opening for education and acquaintance between societies, something that will allow people who are ready for the encounter to get to know the other society. The hand extended by Arab society for a shared life in all areas is a strategic opportunity for the State of Israel. We must take the existing openness to integration in the workplace and translate it into a deeper civil partnership, which will ensure stability and security for the entire public in Israel."

The main findings:

Partnership at work:

58% of Jews are currently willing to work in a shared space, up from 49% last year. Among Arabs, a large majority (81%) express willingness to work in a shared space, up from 68% last year. Among both groups, a significant additional proportion indicate willingness to explore this in the future: 15% of Jews and 7% of Arabs.

When broken down by political camp (Jews), 43% of right-wing voters are willing to work in a shared space, as are 71% of centrist voters and 90% of left-wing voters. When broken down by religious affiliation, 74% of secular voters are willing to work in a shared space, compared to 60% of religious, 49% of traditional, and 19% of ultra-Orthodox.

Among young people, the willingness to work together is lower: 46% of young Jews (age 18-24) are willing to do so compared to 71% of those age 65+. Similarly, 64% of young Arabs are willing to work together compared to 87% of adults.

Joint academic studies:

About half (51%) of Jewish society is open to studying at an integrated university, and another 16% indicate that they may be ready in the future. Among Arab society, a large majority (80%) support this, and an additional 9% say that they may be ready in the future. Analyzing by political camp (Jews only), 80% of the left are open to joint studies, 66% of centrists, and only about a third (34%) of the right.  

Social relations with members of the other group:

While Arab society has seen a significant increase in willingness to be friends (69% compared to 53% last year), in Jewish society less than a third (31%) are willing to be friends with members of the other group, similar to the past (27%). At the same time, in both societies, some are willing to consider being friends in the future: a fifth (20%) of Jews and 12% of Arabs.

Analyzing by age, young Arabs and Jews are less likely to form friendships with members of the other group: 61% and 20% respectively among those aged 18-24.

When broken down by political camp (Jews only), the differences between the groups are large: on the left, 76% are open to a social relationship; in the center, the rate is 42%; and on the right, only 16%. When broken down by religious affiliation, 47% of secular people are open to social relations, and the rate drops to a quarter of traditionalists and 16% of religious, and only 2% of the ultra-Orthodox.

Partial trust of the other group:

About a quarter (26%) of the Jewish public trusts or somewhat trusts most Arab citizens of Israel, while 54% of the Arab public trusts or somewhat trusts most Jews in Israel. The gap is particularly striking in the level of absolute distrust: a third of Jews have no trust at all, compared to only 8% of Arabs.

Pessimism toward shared society:

Following the past year’s events, Arab society has seen an increase in optimism regarding living in partnership between Jews and Arabs to 45% today, compared to only 29% last year. In Jewish society, the number of optimists has dropped from 24% last year to only 16% today.