When the current wave of terror, dubbed the individual intifada, broke out last October, Ghada Zoabi sensed that the discourse among Arab-Israelis on social media was turning violent and extreme. Zoabi is the founder and editor of the Arabic-language website Bokra, Arabic for “tomorrow.” With its focus on social issues and a declared agenda of Arab-Jewish living together, Bokra became an immediate target, and every item Zoabi posted about the joint activities of Arab-Jewish youth groups was attacked. As the cycle of violence intensified, the atmosphere on the Internet escalated, and Zoabi, a restless social activist, sought ways to soothe the violent public climate.
Zoabi, a former journalist, approached her mission by commissioning an in-depth survey, conducted in recent weeks, to examine attitudes and trends in Arab society. Although the findings hardly surprised her, they were unusual in their intensity. The impression that emerged was one of a frightened society, 85% of which fears an increase in racism among Jews, 78% admitted that they are concerned about going to shopping centers in Jewish towns lest they be harmed and 56% expressed pessimism about the possibility of co-existence.
