Spontaneous Contact and Intergroup Attitudes in Asymmetric Protracted Ethno-National Conflict: East Jerusalem Palestinian Students in an Israeli Academic Setting

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of East Jerusalem Palestinian students studying at Israeli higher education institutions in Israel and in preacademic preparatory programs. This study examines how spontaneous encounters with Jewish students while attending an Israeli academic institution are associated with young East Jerusalem Palestinian students’ attitudes toward the integration of East Jerusalem Palestinians into the city of Jerusalemand cooperation with Israeli Jews. Weanalyze the responses to an online survey of 106 East Jerusalem Palestinian students attending a 1-year preparatory program at an Israeli academic institute.We find that Palestinian students who report spontaneous contact with Jewish students on campus during the year express more favorable attitudes toward the integration of East Jerusalem Palestinians into the city of Jerusalem and more positive attitudes toward Jewish Israelis in general.