Predictors of Support for an Israeli–Arab Regional Agreement Among the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish–Israeli Society

This study focuses on a major sector in the Jewish–Israeli society that has a significant and growing influence on Israeli political and policy decisions: the ultra-Orthodox society. It investigates, within the context of the 2023–2025 Israel–Hamas war, factors explaining ultra-Orthodox Israeli–Jews support for a regional agreement that includes Israel, the Palestinians and Arab and Muslim states. Our analysis is based on a representative sample of ultra-Orthodox Israeli–Jews (N = 202) obtained through public opinion polling. In line with our expectation, empathy toward Palestinians and consumption of mainstream news each made a significant contribution to explaining ultra-Orthodox support for a regional agreement. In addition, as anticipated, hawkishness provided an added significant contribution to the overall explanatory power of the model. The implications of these findings are discussed.