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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Palestinian poll: widespread support for two-state solution |
Current rating: 0 |
by Peace Now, via gehrig
(No verified email address) |
27 May 2002
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Palestinian opinion poll reports on the Saudi peace plan, suicide bombings, PA reform, and Israel-Palestinian reconciliation. |
Two Polls Show Palestinian Support For Peace Effort
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, lead by Dr. Khalil Shikaki, issued the results of its latest Palestinian opinion poll last week which revealed strong support for peace and reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians.
Among respondents, 66% said they support the Saudi peace plan calling for the establishment of two states, Palestine and Israel, an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders, and the establishment of full normal relations and full peace between Israel and the Arab states. A majority of 54% also supports Palestinian participation in the peace conference called by the U.S. Further, a majority of 70% supports reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinians peoples after reaching a peace agreement based on the establishment of a Palestinian state recognized by Israel. At the same time, support for bombing attacks inside Israel dropped from 58% last December to 52% in this survey.
Dr. Shikaki said that support for the Saudi peace initiative is important since it demonstrates that Palestinians are much more dovish when it comes to their long-term expectations than appears from their support for violence. He interprets the decline in support for suicide attacks to public statements against such attacks from Yasir Arafat and other officials and far less glorification of these attacks in the Palestinian media in recent weeks.
On internal Palestinian political issues, 91% support fundamental changes in the Palestinian Authority, including 85% who support unification of security services, 95% who back dismissing ministers, 83% who believe in holding elections soon, and 92% who support adopting the Basic Law or a constitution. A majority of 89% supports a democratic political system, including 95% who support periodic elections, 82% who back electing the head of state for a limited period, 85% who support full freedom to form political parties, 82% who want a free press without state censorship, and 78% who back an independent judiciary.
Another poll, taken by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, found that 59.1% of respondents demand all Palestinian political parties comply with the cease-fire order, 83.7% believe to different degrees that the politico-security situation is serious, 64.3% see the general economic situation in the occupied territories as bad, and 62.8% are concerned to varying degrees about their means of subsistence. (PSR Poll & Jerusalem Post, 5/21/02 & IMRA, 5/22/02) |
