From The Jerusalem Post ...
Seventy-five percent of Palestinians support holding early elections, according to a new poll published Thursday.
The poll by the independent Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research was conducted during and after the Hamas military takeover of Gaza last week. It was conducted among 1,270 respondents in the West Bank and Gaza and had an error margin of 3 percent.
If new presidential elections were to be held, 49 percent would vote for Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Fatah movement, and 42 percent would vote for his political rival, deposed PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, the survey said.
If jailed Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti of Fatah were to run against Haniyeh, he would win 59 percent to Haniyeh's 35 percent, the poll said.
A majority of Palestinians, 59 percent, said both Hamas and Fatah are equally to blame for the bitter factional fighting that led to the Hamas takeover of Gaza.
Also, 70 percent said the chances of getting a Palestinian state in the next five years are dim.On Barghouti. from Wikipedia ...
On 11th May 2006, prominent Palestinian leaders held in Israeli prisons released the National Conciliation Document of the Prisoners. The document was a proposal initiated by Marwan Barghouti and leaders of Hamas, PFLP, Islamic Jihad and DFLP that proposed a basis upon which a coalition government should be formed in the Palestinian Legislative Council. This came as a result of the political stalemate in the Palestinian territories that followed Hamas' election to the PLC in January 2006. Crucially, the document also called for negotiation with the state of Israel in order to achieve lasting peace. The document quickly gained popular currency and is now considered the bedrock upon which a national unity government should be achieved.This is more than a little interesting. It's a shame that they did not break down the results by Gaza vs West Bank. In any event, the question of freeing Barghouti looms large.
75% of Palestinians favor elections
Seventy-five percent of Palestinians support holding early elections, according to a new poll published Thursday.
The poll by the independent Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research was conducted during and after the Hamas military takeover of Gaza last week. It was conducted among 1,270 respondents in the West Bank and Gaza and had an error margin of 3 percent.
If new presidential elections were to be held, 49 percent would vote for Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Fatah movement, and 42 percent would vote for his political rival, deposed PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, the survey said.
If jailed Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti of Fatah were to run against Haniyeh, he would win 59 percent to Haniyeh's 35 percent, the poll said.
A majority of Palestinians, 59 percent, said both Hamas and Fatah are equally to blame for the bitter factional fighting that led to the Hamas takeover of Gaza.
Also, 70 percent said the chances of getting a Palestinian state in the next five years are dim.
The National Conciliation Document of the Prisoners
On 11th May 2006, prominent Palestinian leaders held in Israeli prisons released the National Conciliation Document of the Prisoners. The document was a proposal initiated by Marwan Barghouti and leaders of Hamas, PFLP, Islamic Jihad and DFLP that proposed a basis upon which a coalition government should be formed in the Palestinian Legislative Council. This came as a result of the political stalemate in the Palestinian territories that followed Hamas' election to the PLC in January 2006. Crucially, the document also called for negotiation with the state of Israel in order to achieve lasting peace. The document quickly gained popular currency and is now considered the bedrock upon which a national unity government should be achieved.