(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Although the majority of people in the Palestinian Territories would oppose the presence of Arab troops in Gaza, a significant number of them agree with their deployment, according to a poll by An-Najah National University. 54.8 per cent of respondents reject bringing Arab troops into the Gaza Strip, while 42.6 per cent would support this measure.

Fatah leader 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. 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.

Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Abueghiet recently proposed that Arab troops be sent to Gaza as part of an effort to bring Hamas and Fatah—and hence Gaza and the West Bank—together. Haniyeh has rejected the idea.

On Sept. 7, Fatah spokesman Abdel Rahman declared: "Before talking about bringing Arab forces to the Gaza Strip, we have to work on succeeding the comprehensive inter-Palestinian dialogue hosted by Egypt."

Polling Data

Do you support or reject bringing Arab troops to the Gaza Strip?

Source: An-Najah National University
Methodology: Interviews with 1,360 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, conducted from Sept. 18 to Sept. 20, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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