Results of Palestinian Public Opinion Poll

No. 52

3-5 May 2016

Background

The Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu rejected the French Initiative that calls for holding a peace conference in the Middle East. The French Initiative suggests principles for ending the conflict on the basis of a recognition of the 1967 borders with some land exchange between the two sides and making Jerusalem a shared capital between the two states. It also suggests a definite timetable that leads to the end of the Israeli occupation and calls for an international peace conference. 

The UNESCO adopted a group of decisions relating to Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Among these decisions is rejecting the use of the term “Temple Mount” when referring to Al-Aqsa. UNESCO now adopts the Islamic Arabic name: Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Al-Mubarak. UNESCO also called for restoring the status quo to its realities as they were in September 2000 when the Jordanian Ministry of Waqf  had complete dominance over the site.

After the signed agreement between Fateh and Hamas to end the Palestinian split, nothing was carried out of the agreement other than the formation of a Palestinian coalition government; the other items have not been implemented. 

 

The Results

Following are the results of the Palestinian Public Opinion Poll no. 52 conducted by the Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies at An-Najah National University during the period from 3-5 May 2016. The University sponsors all polls conducted by its Center.

This poll undertakes the Palestinian public opinion in Israel’s rejection of the French Initiative, the priorities of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the boycott campaign of Israeli goods and products, the possibilities of conducting presidential and legislative elections in addition to the political affiliations of Palestinian people.

The sample included 1363 persons whose age group is 18 and above and who have the right to vote. The enclosed questionnaire was distributed on 863 persons from the West Bank and 500 persons from the Gaza Strip. The sample was drawn randomly and the margin of error is about ±3%; still 1.9% of the members of the sample refused to answer the questionnaire.

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The opinions represented in the results reflect those of the study; they do not, by any means, represent the opinion of An-Najah National University.

 

The General Results:

 

• 21.1% of respondents supported the return of Palestinians to negotiations under the sole sponsorship of the United States after Netanyahu’s rejection of the French Initiative which called for an international peace conference in the Middle East; 69.3% rejected.
• 56.8% of respondents supported Palestinian turn to the Security Council and the international organizations after Netanyahu’s rejection of the French Initiative which called for an international peace conference in the Middle East; 34.9% rejected.
• 7.4% of respondents considered the United States an honest broker in the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.
• 44.1% of respondents thought that the decisions the Human Rights Council in Geneva voted on serve the Palestinian case.
• 61.6% of respondents saw that the PLO and the PA should follow up with the decisions of the Human Rights Council and draw international support to implement these decisions.
• According to the point of view of the respondents, the PA should take the following priorities in consideration:

(On a 0-10 scale)

Creating jobs and solving the unemployment problem

%92.22

Giving attention to human rights

83.87%

Giving attention to education

88.69%

Improving the economy

90.62%

Imposing security

89.19%

The creation of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders

74.83%

Establishing a democratic rule

74.97%

Building a strong society

79.74%

Obtaining the right of return

88.01%

Ending the siege on the Gaza Stripة

91.75%

Curbing settlement activities

86.90%

Joining more international organizations

70.88%

Fighting corruption

90.53%

Freeing prisoners

93.29%

Ending the split

90.47%

Supporting the BDS campaign

81.55%

 

• 24.4% of respondents believed that Israel will reduce its security activities in areas A if an understanding agreement with the Palestinians is achieved.
• 67.9% of respondents believed that the Israeli security activities in areas A undermine and weaken the position of the PA.
• 51.7% of respondents supported the rise of a peaceful, unarmed intifada in the Palestinian Territories; 44.2% rejected that 
• 48.1% of respondents supported the rise of an armed intifada in the Palestinian Territories; 47.9% rejected that 
• 21.3% of respondents saw that if a Palestinian intifada takes place, a peaceful and unarmed intifada will be the best form of resistance that would serve the Palestinian cause, 23.6% said that an armed intifada would serve the Palestinian cause better, 27.1% said that both forms are useful for the Palestinian cause; 23.2% said that both forms are useless.
• 66.6% of respondents believed that there has been a retreat during the last month in the operations that the Palestinian youth carried out against Israeli targets
• 57.6% of respondents believed that some of the measures that the Palestinian security apparatuses execute have reduced the attacks against Israeli targets.
• 28.9% of respondents supported the measures that the Palestinian security apparatuses impose to curb the operations of the Palestinian youth against Israeli targets; 62.7% rejected.
• 54.4% of respondents supported the stabbing operations that the Palestinian youth make against the Israelis; 36.2% rejected.
• 17.3% of respondents supported cutting the allocated funds that the Popular Front and the Democratic Front receive from the Palestine National Fund; 60.2% rejected 
• 74.2% of respondents supported nominating Marwan Barghouti for the Noble Peace Prize
• 62.3% of respondents expected Marwan Barghouti to win the Noble Peace Prize
• 56% of respondents believed that if Marwan Barghouti wins the Noble Peace Prize, it will have a positive effect on the Palestinian cause; 6.7% believed it will have a negative effect.
• 42.3% of respondents supported the creation of a confederation with Jordan on the basis of two independent states with strong institutional relations.
• 33% of respondents believed that there is a possibility for the creation of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders while 58.9% said that there is no such possibility.
• 43.7% of respondents supported the creation of a Palestinian state on the entire area of the 1967 borders as a final solution for the Palestinian cause while 51.6% said that there is no such possibility. 
• 23.1% of respondents supported the creation of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with some land exchange as a final solution for the Palestinian cause while 72.3% rejected. 
• 19.5% of respondents supported the creation of a binational state for Arabs and Jews on historic Palestine as a final solution for the Palestinian cause while 76.2% rejected. 
• 41.8% of respondents supported dissolving the PA and merging its institutions with the PLO institutions; 48.7% rejected.
• 37.8% of respondents supported stopping work with the Paris Economic Agreement that is currently effective between the PA and Israel.
• 86.1% of respondents saw that Fateh and Hamas must speed the implementation of the reconciliation agreement.
• 43% of respondents said that they are optimistic about the implementation of the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas in the near future while 53.3% said they are pessimistic.
• 15.4% of respondents believed that the responsible party for the lack of implementation of the national reconciliation agreement is Hamas, 10.8% said it is Fatah, and 62.1% said it is some persons in Fatah and Hamas.
• 79.2% of respondents supported boycotting Israeli goods and products.
• 44.9% of respondents expected the success and endurance of the Palestinian reconciliation; ***% expected its failure. 
• 11.3% of the respondents said that they buy Israeli products in all cases, 43.2% said they buy Palestinian products in all cases, and 42.5% said they buy according to the quality of the item regardless of its origin.
• As for the reason why some persons are not committed to the boycott campaign of Israeli products, they attributed that to the following:

      - 72.54% The lack of trust in the quality of local products

      - 70.56% The consumer culture of some persons

      - 67.68% The lack of local substitutes of Israeli products

      - 59.41% The high prices of local products

      - 72.71% The continuous availability of the Israeli products

      - 35.75% The Israeli products are their source of income

• 65.8% of respondents assessed the performance of the National Unity Government as good.
• 66.1% of respondents assessed the performance of the Palestinian Presidency as good.
• 40.7% of respondents expected that if elections are conducted in the present time in the Palestinian Territories, they will be fair.
• 74.3% of respondents said that they will participate in the coming presidential elections. From among those who said they will participate, 36.1% said that they will give their votes to Fateh's candidate; 14.4% said they will give their votes to Hamas' candidate.

• 73.7% of respondents said that they will participate in the coming legislative elections. From among those who said they will participate, 38.7% said that they will give their votes to Fateh's candidates; 16.7% said they will give their votes to Hamas' candidates.
• If PLC elections are to be conducted, 36.6% of respondents expected the winning of Fateh movement; 21.4% expected the winning of Hamas.
• 75.8% of respondents said that they will participate in the coming municipality and local council elections. From among those who said they will participate, 29.2% said that they will give their votes to Fateh’s candidates, 13.7% said they will give their votes to Hamas' candidates and 9.9% said they will give their votes to the representative of their family or clan.

• 31.7% of respondents said that the current political, security and economic circumstances compel them to desire to emigrate.

• 47.2% of respondents expressed fear for their lives under the present circumstances.
• 61.8% of respondents said that they are pessimistic about the general Palestinian situation at this stage.
• 82.6% of respondents said that they neither feel safe for themselves nor for their families and properties under the current circumstances.
• As for political affiliation, respondents gave the following results:

People’s Party

1.0%

Democratic Front

1.0%

Islamic Jihad

1.6%

Fateh

29.7%

Hamas

13.9%

Fida

0.1%

Popular Front

3.4%

Palestinian National Initiative

1.0%

I am an independent nationalist

5.6%

I am an independent Islamist

3.1%

None of the above

38.6%

Others

0.8%

 

 

Title

Opinion Polls and Survey Studies Center

Publisher

An-Najah National University

Publisher Country

Palestine

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

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Year

2015

Pages

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