Support for Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza has declined by four percentage
points to 18 percent since December, according to a poll published
Thursday.
The poll, conducted by the Arab World for Research and
Development (AWRAD), said that while support for Hamas was down, support for
Fatah was back to its July 2012 level (42%), an increase from 37% in
December.
According to the survey, 95% of Gazans support holding
legislative and presidential elections immediately, as do 82% of West Bank
respondents.
Settlement building in the West Bank appeared to be the
biggest obstacle to peace, with the poll showing 68% of respondents supporting a
return to negotiations if Israel were to stop construction.
Following
this, 65% of those surveyed said they opposed a third intifada. A majority also
believe that popular protest activities such as the erection of a protest camp
at Bab al- Shams in the E1 corridor have a real impact on ending the
“occupation.”
Regarding the effect of last November’s Operation Pillar of
Defense, 53% said the latest confrontations and resulting cease-fire in Gaza
would not lead to real change in Palestinian affairs.
Approval ratings
for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas stood at 58% in the poll,
compared to 45% for Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Pitted against
each other in a presidential race, Abbas could potentially receive 64% of the
votes compared with 36% for Hamas leaders Khaled Mashaal or Haniyeh, the poll
showed.
The survey was conducted among 1,200 Palestinians, with a margin
of error of 3%.