December 25, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Israel think their government should topple the de facto administration of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to a poll by Maagar Mochot released by Israel Radio. 62 per cent of respondents want Israel to depose Hamas by military force, while 26 per cent disagree.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Israel think their government should topple the de facto administration of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to a poll by Maagar Mochot released by Israel Radio. 62 per cent of respondents want Israel to depose Hamas by military force, while 26 per cent disagree.

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.

Last month, 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.

On Dec. 18, 12 people died in an air strike launched by Israel against Islamic Jihad. On Dec. 23, senior Islamic Jihad member Khaled al-Batsh rejected a ceasefire, saying, "The Islamic Jihad has no room to discuss this issue at this time as ten of its leaders were killed, including Majed al-Harrazin, the general commander of the movement’s armed wing and a number of resistance men. We, the Islamic Jihad, cannot speak about ceasefire before the criminals pay the price of their aggression."

On Dec. 20, Egypt delivered a truce proposal by Hamas to the Israeli government. The deal would entail stopping all Qassam rocket launches into Israel in exchange for Israel ceasing all air strikes and military operations in Gaza. On Dec. 23, Olmert declared: "There is no other way to describe what’s happening there other than real war between the army and the terror groups. This war will continue, all the while taking precautions to avoid a humanitarian crisis that could hurt civilians who are not involved at all in terror."

Polling Data

Should Israel depose the Hamas government in Gaza by military force?

Yes	62%
No	26%
Other replies	12%

Source: Maagar Mochot / Israel Radio
Methodology: Interviews with 503 Israeli adults, conducted on Dec. 19, 2007. Margin of error is 4.5 per cent.