Palestinian Poll 60.2% Support Attacks Now, 88.8% Oppose Detaining
Hamas/Islamic Jihad
Aaron Lerner Date: 3 September 2003

A poll of 1,102 Palestinians carried out for Yasser Arafat's Gaza based
"Office of Palestinian Information" finds the 60.2% support attacks today
and 88.8% oppose the detention of members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad by the
Palestinian Authority.

The poll of a representative sample of Palestinians in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip was carried out between 21 and 28 August and reported in the
Hebrew edition of Haaretz this morning by Arnon Regular. According to
Regular the poll is part of a regular polling program for internal use by
Palestinian decision makers.

Besides the above results that do not correspond with the commonly held
working assumptions of the Bush and Sharon Administrations that the
Palestinian public actually opposes terror and would support Palestinian
compliance, the poll found that 56% believe attacks serve Palestinian
national interests and 79.7% oppose the PA's decision to freeze contacts
with Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

With regards to the specific recent attack against a Jerusalem bus that
murdered 21 during the "hudna", 48.3% of Gazans and 47.2% of West Bankers
thought it was a good move while 46.4% of Gazans and 44.9% of West Bankers
thought it wasn't a good move. 74.6% supported the position that the attack
was due to Israeli violations of the "hudna".

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
pager 03-6106666 subscriber 4811
Website: http://www.imra.org.il