Poll: Palestinians back peace bid, but don't expect progress
More than 70% of Palestinians polled said they want Abbas to attend Annapolis conference.
By The Associated Press Tags: Annapolis conference PalestiniansA majority of Palestinians want Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to negotiate a peace deal with Israel, but don't believe there will be progress at next week's U.S.-hosted Mideast conference, a poll showed.
There has been a slight drop in skepticism about the conference, to be held in Annapolis, Maryland, in the past two months, according to the survey by the independent polling company Near East Consulting.
In November, 57 percent of 1,200 respondents said they don't believe the conference will lead to progress in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, compared to 61 percent in September, according to the poll, which had an error margin of 3 percentage points.
Seventy-one percent said they want Abbas to attend the conference, down five percentage points from an October poll.
"Palestinians... don't want to be seen as unwilling to be part of a peace process," said pollster Jamil Rabah, explaining the apparent contradiction. Many Palestinians don't believe the international environment is right for a peace deal, but still support Abbas' efforts to negotiate, he said.
Seventy-eight percent of the respondents said they support a peace agreement with Israel, and 51 percent said the fate of Jerusalem is the most important issue for the two sides to negotiate.
In the poll, 62 percent said they want Jerusalem to be divided between Israel and a future Palestinian state. The issue is one of the most divisive between the two sides.
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because they hate the Jews. That's why peace is "VERY IMPOSSIBLE"!!!
Even if 90% of Palestinians were willing to give up ALL of Jerusalem it would be meaningless since the minority takes to arms and makes sure to screw things up. This poll is simply another disingenius method of slandering Israelis right to life. No other country would ever be pressured to make concessions that would threaten the lives of its citizens.
It would have been very appropriate to ask those 1200 people "What r they giving up for peace"? in Arab mind peace means destroyiong the jewish state and getting everything they want and returning several million so-called Palestinians, nothing less. And Arabs want this peace, nothing else
They are ruled by Taliban murderers supported, trained, armed, and fomented by Iran. Their voice is irrelevant, as their terrorist enclave doesn't play any role in persuit of peace.
No need for any Jews to read your messages, but I hope you have fun writing them.
This is a very confusing article. I assume that there are no Palestinians who make no claim on any part of Jerusalem.
Where was this Poll run? West Bank? Gaza? Both? How many of the 1200 people interviewed are residents of which place? Strange result. So who voted for Hamas? Changed their mind? I hope they do want peace to succeed. We will need several Annapolis to achieve anything. We haven't been talking seriously to the Arabs for the last 5 years so expectations for this first Meeting can't be too big. If it's not an outright Fiasco, it's a Success.
I agree with the Palestinians. There will be no peace agreement, because both sides must want it.
And since when do Palestinian leaders listen to the will of their own people?
Looks to me like a lot of Palestinians have a realistic view of what will happen at Annapolis. But if it is the start of something positive so much the better.
the Israelis are greedy and want it all to themselves...avarice! is not a good trait...coveting your neighbors property...GREED!