ISRAELI PATRIOTISM

Israelis Willing to Fight for Their Country - Uzi Arad and Gal Alon(IMRA/Institute for Policy and Strategy-Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya)

It is impossible to measure a country's strength without addressing the patriotic component among its citizenry. According to an in-depth survey, citizens of Israel possess a large degree of patriotism according to two criteria - willingness to fight for it (85%) and the desire to remain planted on its soil (87%). In comparison to other developed countries in the West, there is none that surpasses Israel in this declared readiness to fight for one's country.

The current spirit of Israeli patriotism - more than being fed by ideology or Israel's historic heritage - is anchored in a deep attachment to country and a sense of its being under threat.

Most Israeli Arabs are not proud of their citizenship (56%), and are not ready to fight to defend the state (73%). But the rate of Arab Israelis who believe that Israel is better than most other countries (77%) is among the highest in the developed world.