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News :: Israel / Palestine |
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Palestinian Peace-poll Data |
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by haaretz via gehrig
(No verified email address) |
28 Nov 2002
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Two points of particular interest: 56% of Palestinians want the PA to prevent terror attacks inside Israel (something 86% opposed only last May), and Palestinian opinion on Arafat remains abysmal (35% approval rating). As usual, the middle ground is closer than it seems. |
Friday, November 29, 2002
Poll: Majority of Palestinians support PA crackdown on attacks
By The Associated Press
A poll released Thursday found that a majority of Palestinians want their police to crack down on militants attacking Israel - a shift that coincides with unprecedented criticism from a top Palestinian leader of two years of violence against Israel.
The poll, by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, questioned 1,319 people in personal interviews from Nov. 14-22 and quoted a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
It showed that 53 percent of Palestinians still support attacking Israeli civilians and 90 percent support attacks on soldiers and Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. But 76 percent said they backed efforts to reach a mutual cease-fire, a sharp rise from the 48 percent who supported an end to the violence just three months ago.
"There's certainly a very significant shift that now, despite the fact that people still believe the intefadeh has been good, most believe that it is time to return to the peace process and most Palestinians believe that the intefadeh impedes the return to the peace process," said Khalil Shikaki, the center's director.
After the poll was completed, news came of unprecedented criticism of the violence from a top-level Palestinian official. Abu Mazen, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's deputy, said the uprising has been a disaster and has led to "complete destruction of everything we built."
Mazen, who is also known as Mahmoud Abbas, made the remarks to Palestinian activists. His office gave a transcript to The Associated Press on Wednesday, confirming the rare criticism.
Mazen also implied criticism of Arafat, saying that there was no reason why the PA should not stop the militants from attacking Israel. The poll also showed indirect erosion in Arafat's standing among his people.
While Arafat's popularity remained unchanged at 35 percent, 73 percent favored selecting a Palestinian prime minister to take over some of Arafat's powers. Arafat has resisted the idea, which has the backing of the United States.
"There is no doubt that the public very strongly blames Arafat ... I think they mainly blame him for the lack of leadership," Shikaki said.
Up to now, polls have consistently shown widespread support among the Palestinian public for the violence, including suicide bomb attacks.
The latest poll shows Palestinians still strongly favor attacks against Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza - lands claimed by the Palestinians for their own state - but that 56 percent favor steps by the PA to stop attacks in Israel.
As recently as May, a similar poll showed that 86 percent of Palestinians opposed arresting Palestinian militants involved in suicide bombings inside Israel. |
