(05/26/08) -

Palestinians Favour Negotiations with Israel

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many residents of the Palestinian Territories express support for holding peace talks with Israel, according to a poll by An-Najah National University. 56.5 per cent of respondents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip support resuming stalled political negotiations with Israel.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many residents of the Palestinian Territories express support for holding peace talks with Israel, according to a poll by An-Najah National University. 56.5 per cent of respondents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip support resuming stalled political negotiations with Israel.

Fatah candidate Mahmoud Abbas won the January 2005 presidential ballot in the Palestinian Territories with 62.32 per cent of all cast ballots. In January 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council election, securing 74 of the 112 seats at stake. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh officially took over as prime minister in March. The Israeli government believes Hamas is directly responsible for the deaths of 377 citizens in a variety of attacks, which include dozens of suicide bombings.

In February 2007, Hamas and Fatah leaders reached an accord which set the guidelines for a power-sharing Palestinian administration, headed by Hamas, which would "respect" past peace agreements with Israel. In June, amid a wave of violent clashes between Palestinian supporters of the Hamas and Fatah factions, Hamas militants seized control of Gaza. Abbas issued a decree to form a 12-member emergency government—based in the West Bank—and expelled Hamas from the administration. Fatah member Salam Fayyad was appointed as prime minister by Abbas.

In November 2007, Abbas and leaders from the United States, Israel and several Arab countries attended an international conference on Middle East affairs in Annapolis, Maryland. The meeting was brokered by United States president George W. Bush. On Nov. 27, Abbas and Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert announced they would work towards having a peace treaty signed by the end of 2008, which would include the creation of a Palestinian state.

The Islamic Jihad organization has been launching Qassam rockets into Israel from Gaza almost daily since Hamas took control of the territory. Israel holds Hamas responsible for the attacks for allowing the Islamic Jihad and other groups to act against Israel. In January, Israel completely sealed off its borders with the Gaza Strip.

Israeli and Palestinian delegates are currently negotiating a ceasefire in Egypt. On May 20, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev declared: "The clock is ticking and time is running out, because the current situation cannot continue. Either it will stop and calm will be achieved through the Egyptian channel, or the government will instruct the military to bring about an end to these hostile attacks."

Polling Data

In view of the last Israeli operations against the Gaza Strip, do you support or reject resuming political negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel?

Source: An-Najah National University
Methodology: Interviews with 1,360 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, conducted from May 15 to May 17, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.