Poll: A third of Israelis call settler rioters ‘terrorists’

A recent survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) indicates that a third of Israelis consider Jewish rioters involved in West Bank violence, specifically in the village of Kusra, to be “Israeli terrorists.” An additional 18% labeled them “nationalist criminals,” demonstrating a broad consensus against their actions. JPPI President Yedidia Stern stated, “More than half the public judges them very harshly, as terrorists or criminals.” Only 5% of Israelis expressed support for the rioters, while 13% described them as “young people who sometimes go too far” or “the salt of the earth.”

• Political affiliation significantly influenced views, with 63% on the left, 49% in the center, and 3% on the right describing the rioters as “Israeli terrorists.”
• Arab Israelis were more likely (55%) than Jewish Israelis (27%) to use the term “Israeli terrorists.”
• The survey referenced an incident in Kusra where masked Israelis threw stones at Palestinians and barricaded themselves in a home, injuring several.
• US Ambassador Mike Huckabee previously condemned a related incident in Kusra as a “horrific act of terror.”