Poll: Half of Palestinian Men in Israel Feel Unsafe in Public Spaces

A new survey by Physicians for Human Rights reveals a deep crisis in personal safety and significant gaps in healthcare access for Palestinian citizens and residents of Israel. The findings indicate that ethnic-national identity plays a role in both feelings of safety and access to health services, impacting physical and mental well-being and the right to health.

The poll, conducted by Geocartography on a representative sample of 800 adult residents in Israel, found that 42.5% of Palestinian citizens and residents feel unsafe or completely unsafe in public spaces, compared to 19% of Jewish individuals. This figure rises to 50% among Palestinian men, versus approximately 37% of Palestinian women, 21% of Jewish women, and 16% of Jewish men. Conversely, only 9.7% of Palestinians reported feeling very safe in public, compared to about a quarter of Jewish respondents.

Daily concerns also differ, with 25% of Palestinians citing crime and violence as their primary worry, against about 9% of Jewish individuals. This concern is higher among Palestinian men at 31%. Palestinian women, however, are more concerned about economic hardship, with 37% identifying financial distress or income loss as their biggest worry.

Beyond safety, the survey highlights disparities in healthcare access. Material costs are a significant barrier for Palestinian citizens and residents, with 24.1% of Palestinian men and 12% of Palestinian women foregoing necessary medical services or medication due to cost in the past year. This is nearly triple the rate among Jewish men and women, where only about 8% reported similar issues.

Palestinian women face additional hurdles, with 14.5% avoiding sensitive consultations with family doctors due to fear of prejudice, compared to 5% of Jewish women. Furthermore, 16% of Palestinian women found personal acquaintance with a doctor to be a barrier, versus 6% of Jewish women. Only 21% of Palestinian women felt they received adequate responses from their health fund for serious issues, compared to 38% of Jewish women.

Roni Ben-Kenaan of Physicians for Human Rights stated that these findings demonstrate an inseparable link between societal violence and public health. She emphasized that the lack of safety, healthcare barriers disproportionately affecting Palestinians, and specific obstacles faced by Palestinian women constitute inequality that directly impacts health and the right to health, framing the fight against discrimination as a fight for health.