Poll: Most Palestinians want peace with Israel
Fafo poll conducted in West Bank and Gaza finds that 89% Palestinians support PA legislative elections this year, 84 % believe Fatah will win.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Israel news Palestinians West Bank Gaza Fatah Hamas
The majority of Palestinians support a peace agreement with Israel and believe that the Palestinian Authority should use non-violent means to achieve their political goals, a new Fafo poll revealed.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House in Washington on June 9, 2010. |
| Photo by: AP |
Fafo, a Norwegian based international multidisciplinary research foundation, found that 73 percent of Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza were in favor of peace negotiations with Israel, but stressed that a settlement freeze should be a precondition to talks.
The poll also revealed a rise in Palestinian support for halting rocket attacks from Gaza against Israel, rising from 53 percent in favor of a halt in 2009 to 61 percent in 2010.
Most Palestinians who agreed to answer the poll said they had more confidence in the Fatah leadership, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, than that of Hamas, and revealed that support of Hamas in Gaza was relatively lower than it was in 2008.
Also, over 89 percent of Palestinians are greatly in favor of new legislative elections this year, but only if it were held in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with the participation of Hamas.
The poll also found that if the elections were held this year, 84 percent believed that the Fatah would win. However, three of ten poll respondents believed that neither Abbas nor Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh were qualified to lead the Palestinian Authority, and claimed they would not vote.
The poll, which has been conducted in the PA for the past three years, found that after the Gaza War in December 2008, support for the Hamas party surged, but has gradually dropped since.
The respondents were randomly selected individuals aged 18 and above.
Of the 960 respondents in the West Bank in February 2010, and 933 respondents in Gaza during May 2010, the poll found that Palestinians were split over a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, the poll found.
Interviews took place at 66 fieldwork points in both areas, yet researchers limited their results saying that "These are people who refuse to answer the question, claim they do not intend to cast their votes, or do not know which party (or candidate) to support."
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Halt the settlement building (at least temporarily) and look how far you can come. This current Israeli government hasn't showed any sign of wanting peace, now this is the chance for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
It is too bad that Israelis are more anti-peace than ever. Illegal settling the West Bank and ancient claims to holding all Jerusalem (even Arab neighborhoods) outweigh the Israelis desire for peace. It is a sad state of affairs.
I actually can believe the results of this poll, especially because it was run by a Norwegian firm with no axe to grind. If this is true, most who want peace may be regarded as mere self-seeking yahoos, interested in money, beefsteak, and the good life, with no ideology. Shame on them! For liberation of the Holy Land, look to genuine ideologue Palestinians who are willing to sacrifice, take up arms, and risk their lives for the Divine cause of Palestine Liberation!
This cannot be anything but good. From the other side, everything suggests that the Netanyahu government wants perpetual war, because it hopes, over time, to drive Palestinians out of the occupied territories. I doubt that most Israelis want that, and I know that the US government and people would rather focus on Pakistan / Afghanistan / Islamic fundamentalist terror. The Arab League peace plan is a sound starting point: why not get peace, normalize realtions, and build both Israel and Palestine into places that the rest of the Middle East will imitate?
Abbas corrupt people? Peace is not possible with occupation.
".... a settlement freeze should be a precondition to talks." This is exactly the cause or the base for such a high percentage in favor for peace treaty with the occupants. FATAH org. will win the election by their way of managing the fate of palestinian people!!.
This is not true. If it were so there would BE peace.
that the siege is working and that cast lead was in fact a deterrant to rocket attacks
Yes, you can organize (enforce) a free and fair elections in any society. But a society of the 12th century will ALWAYS elect someone who will cancel (or make farce of) the next elections.
Israel could have peace and security if they withdrew to the 1967 borders, including East Jerusalem.... ...Israel chooses land expansion and brutal domination over peace and comprimise.
Is it the pollsters, or only the reporter and editor, who fail to understand that favoring peace negotiations, favoring a peace agreement, and favoring peace are three different things?
Thank god we have you, the only one to understand everything.... the only one wha bad and good etc.
Israel was est in 1948 as a jrwish state with a lot of feligious FREEDOM to arabs and another NATIONS. Jerusalem is an oldesT city of the world, Israeli capital, and have a lot of religious freedom. Fatah will bring only DISASTER. Vlad
Fatah will bring disaster, OK, would you rather stick to Hamas?
But its all a question of trust.We have to jump in feet first,sit around a table ,not be paranoid,taske a few risks,in order to achieve mutual trust.
They have proven over the decades they will bow down to extremist settlers and carry on the occupation and expanding the settlements, how can we be trusted if our government carries on stealing Palestinians land under international law we are seen as criminals. It;s quite clear over the years all parties are the seem they carry on with the occupation.
that you and people feel the same way as you do make more babies to outnumber the settler population, and when the next govt comes you will win ;)
I believe the majority of the Israeli people aswell as the Palestinians wants peace. But a big problem are the "rulers" at both sides. Too many of them seems to have their roots in military/terrorist traditions of fighting each other. At lest it looks like that from my perspective. Too many leaders who are filled with prestige, the urge for revenge, hatered and such. They will never bring peace. Both the Israel people and the Palestineans deservs new leaders who are truly interested in peace
Poll findings I would like to see are Most Israelis want peace with the Palestinians.
Because they thought they would win? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The last Palestinian elections resulted in Israel and the US leading an economic boycott of the PA that drove half of it into Iran's arms and gave Gaza to Hamas and and military coup-counter coup in Gaza. There are no guarantees that Israel would allow a vote even, not uless Netanyahu and Shas and Likud were guaranteed election with an absolute majority.
that Hamas did not want to give any confirmation and acceptance to the Oslo Agreement, which recognizes the State of Israel by the palestinians and the creation of a palestinian state in negociated limits and at its end a peace treaty. Hamas does not want peace, in contrary, wants to destroy Israel, and so Israel has all right to defend itself by all means, and economic boycott , closure of borders and naval bockade are some of these means
did not follow the oslo agreement as the PA did and cut the violence dramatically even though israel carries on building illegal settlements. Israel does not accept the right of the Palestinian to exist or the state of pales tine. they occupy Gaza and the west bank and disobey international law on a daily basis. They block pasta, coriander, school books etc. from going into Gaza as they consider these items a security risk, to a sane person this is seen as pure hatred of the Palestinians from israel. Best to get two sides of a story hey...
Hamas won't be taking part. How can Fatah lose?? One wonders what the numbers would be, however, if Hamas were taking part?
Hamas won't be taking part. How can Fatah lose?? One wonders what the numbers would be, however, if Hamas were taking part?
a settlement freeze would NOT be a precondition to talks.
Talk about signaling a complete lack of intention - Get real!
I totally agree. It the Palestinians were really in favor of negotiations, there precondition would be to give Israel 90% of 22% of what originally was theirs.
well, if they want land at all, better start negotiating. there were always areas in the West Bank which Israel wants for itself. This was never a problem, only a problem in your delusions. The fact that Israel is accused of stealing land boils down to the fact that it is a justification for "resistance" which requires killing and murder. But of course, this is more commendable then making peace because 'israel lacks intentions'. no, we just don't want to be overrun by arabs, whom have the middle east, and we only want 0.01 percent. but even that is too much to give the Jews. The Ummah is nice. thankfully the Palestinians are more reasonable then their supporters and other israel haters.