Most Palestinians want to halt diplomatic relations with US

Nearly 70% of respondents to survey said US administration playing a “non-constructive” role in the peace process.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
A Palestinian argues with IDF soldiers near Ramallah, December 10, 2014. (photo credit: REUTERS)
A Palestinian argues with IDF soldiers near Ramallah, December 10, 2014.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A majority of Palestinians support halting security coordination with Israel and contacts with the US, according to a public opinion poll.
The poll published on Tuesday, which was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, covered 1,000 Palestinian respondents and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
The president of the center, Nabil Kukali, said that around 61 percent of respondents expressed support for ending security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
“It seems that this stance came as a response to the repeated Israeli procedures, practices and transgressions, such as retaining the Palestinian customs revenues and the refusal to transfer these funds to the Palestinian Authority,” he said. “This, in addition to the continuation of settlement construction, halt of the peace process, tightening the siege on the Gaza Strip, boosting the checkpoints and the continuation of intrusions and arrests.”
The poll also found that 60% of respondents opposed the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.
Palestinians fear that dissolving the authority would leave a national vacuum and result in chaos and lawlessness, Kukali explained.
In the upcoming Knesset elections, the data showed that the Palestinian public is convinced that there are no significant differences between the Israeli leaders and political parties when it comes to the issue of the Palestinian state.
About 17% of respondents said they expected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to win, as opposed to 21% for the Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog. Only 15% said they expected Tzipi Livni to become the next prime minister.
Asked about the impact of Netanyahu’s reelection on the peace process, 28% of respondents said it would “strongly” reduce their belief in the prospects of achieving peace.
The poll also showed that many Palestinians don’t trust the US administration.
Nearly 70% of respondents said that the administration was playing a “non-constructive” role in the peace process.
Palestinians also expressed negative views about the role of the UN in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Sixty percent of respondents said that the position of UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon was “negative” in the wake of the aborted Palestinian statehood bid at the Security Council.
Fifty-six percent of respondents supported the reintroduction of the statehood bid to the Security Council.
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