A majority of Israelis believe that it is never legitimate to disturb or attempt to prevent prayers from being held in public spaces, a new survey found.
The survey, conducted by Lazar Research for the Maariv newspaper, found that 71% of the public opposes disrupting prayer services held in public spaces.
According to the data, 12% of the public believe that disrupting prayers in public spaces is legitimate if the prayers are conducted with gender segregation, and six percent think that it is legitimate to disturb or prevent prayer in public spaces and that such actions do not require justification.
Among respondents who consider themselves secular, 51% answered that there is no legitimacy for any interference in prayers held in a public space, 12% of [secular] participants claimed that it is legitimate in all instances. Twenty two percent answered that interfering with prayers is only legitimate if there is segregation between men and women. Seven percent refrained from answering.
Among respondents who were categorized as traditional, 80% answered that interfering in prayer is never legitimate, and 8% said that interference is legitimate if the prayer is segregated and held in a public space, and 2% claimed that it is legitimate to disturb any prayer in a public space. Ten percent refrained from answering.
Among respondents defined as religious, 87% said that it is not legitimate to disturb prayers, 4% that is it legitimate to interfere for any reason, and 2% responded that it is legitimate to disturb prayers if there is a separation between men and women. Seven percent of those polled did not respond to this question.
Among respondents categorized as haredi 98% responded that it is never legitimate to disturb prayers in public spaces., and 2% refrained from answering this question.