Poll shows fewer Palestinians support Hamas, new intifada against Israel

One month after Operation Protective Edge, fewer Palestinians are satisfied with the achievements of the campaign and fewer want an intifada, and more Gazans favor disarming the Islamist terrorist organizations in the Strip, according to a poll whose resulted were released on Monday. There was a drop in support for Hamas and its leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh. And more Palestinians held a favorable view of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah faction. The Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research conducted the poll. Nonetheless, Hamas and Haniyeh are still more popular than Fatah and Abbas, and a majority of Palestinians remain in favor of rocket attacks against Israel “if the siege and the blockade are not ended.” The poll also shows greater Palestinian dissatisfaction with the performance of the PA “reconciliation government” backed by Hamas and Fatah. In a poll taken immediately after the Gaza operation, 79 percent of respondents said that Hamas emerged victorious. In this most recent survey, which surveyed 1,200 Palestinians throughout Gaza and the West Bank, 69% said that Hamas won. In Gaza, just 58% believe that Hamas was the winner. When it comes to satisfaction with the war's achievements, just 49% said they were satisfied, a 10-point drop compared to one month ago. According to the latest poll, 50% of respondents are dissatisfied. In Gaza, that figure rises to 59%. If the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza is not lifted, 80% of Palestinians said they support more rocket attacks on Israel. In Gaza, support for such attacks falls to 72%. More Palestinians favor disarming terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. Last month, 57% opposed such a move. In this latest poll, that figure drops to 50%. In Gaza, 42% oppose stripping the organizations of their arms. As for which Palestinian leader is the preferred choice to rule in the West Bank and Gaza, Haniyeh easily defeats Abbas, 55% to 38%. Last month, the gap was even wider, with the Hamas leader getting 61% support compared to just 32% for Abbas. Marwan Barghouti, the jailed Fatah-Tanzim leader, would stand more of a chance in an election against Haniyeh. If a voter were held now, Barghouti would defeat Haniyeh, 48% to 46%. A month ago, Barghouti received 45% support, while Haniyeh received 49%. If elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council, 39% of respondents said they would back Hamas, while 36% said Fatah. Five percent would back other parties, and 21% are undecided. Last month, Hamas's advantage over Fatah was bigger – 46% to just 31%. Before the Gaza war, Fatah enjoyed 40% support, while 32% backed Hamas. The sample consisted of 1,200 adults interviewed face to face in 120 randomly selected locations. The margin of error is 3%.

Poll shows fewer Palestinians support Hamas, new intifada against Israel

Nonetheless, Hamas and Haniyeh are still more popular than Fatah and Abbas, and a majority of Palestinians remain in favor of rocket attacks against Israel "if the siege is not lifted."

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