(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Public support for Mahmoud Abbas has increased this year, according to a poll by the Jerusalem Media & Communications Center. 48.2 per cent of respondents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are satisfied with the way the Palestinian Authority president is performing, up 14.6 points since January.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Public support for Mahmoud Abbas has increased this year, according to a poll by the Jerusalem Media & Communications Center. 48.2 per cent of respondents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are satisfied with the way the Palestinian Authority president is performing, up 14.6 points since January.
Fatah leader 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. In June, amid a wave of violent clashes between 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.
Abbas recently extended his tenure—which was supposed to end in January 2009—until 2010. The extension is part of an Egypt-sponsored plan to foster reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.
Both factions had agreed to hold joint presidential and parliamentary elections in January 2010, but the actual timing of the new ballot is uncertain. On May 19, Abbas swore in a new government that does not include members of Hamas. Fayyad remained in his post as prime minister.
On Jun. 29, Abbas outlined his views on a possible peace deal with Israel, saying, "We won’t accept the continuation of settlements. (…) Israel should accept the two-state vision and not put conditions that would render the issue meaningless."
Polling Data
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas is performing his job as a president of the PNA?
|
Jun. 2009 |
Jan. 2009 |
|
|
Satisfied |
48.2% |
33.6% |
|
Dissatisfied |
49.4% |
62.3% |
|
No answer |
2.4% |
4.1% |
Source: Jerusalem Media & Communications Center
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,199 adults in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, conducted from Jun. 20 to Jun. 24, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
