An-Najah National University
Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies

Tel: (972)(9) 2381113/7, 2386584 Fax: (972)(9) 2387982
Nablus-Palestine: P.O.Box 7, 707
Email: Polls@najah.edu hussein596@yahoo.com

Results of Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No 24
16-18 November 2006
www.najah.edu/english/Centers/polls/poll25.asp
Background

When the exchange of verbal accusations prevailed and when the two major
Palestinian factions started to resort to arms pushing the conflict to the
verge of internal fighting accompanied by a state of paralysis in the public
sector due to the strike, Palestinians finally found no way out of the
political and financial impasse other than a unity government that would
include all parliamentary factions in addition to some independent figures.
President Abbas and Prime Minister Hanyia promised Palestinians to form a
unity government before the end of November, and the media point out that a
national unity government has become very imminent, especially that rumors
leaked out by some officials that an agreement on the general framework of
the government has already been accomplished.

On the other side of the scene, the Israeli army committed another massacre
in Beit Hanon in the Strip that resulted in the massive killing of more than
20 civilians. The political outcome of the massacre was a veto by the US in
the Security Council that aborted the Arab countries' attempt to pass a
resolution that condemns Israel.

On the Palestinian side public schools teachers suspended their strike after
an agreement was concluded with the Minister of Education and Higher
Education on a specific procedure to pay their salaries. As a result of this
agreement students went back to their schools.

The Results

Following are the results of the 24th Palestinian Public Opinion Poll
conducted by the Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies at An-Najah
National University during the period from November 16 to 18, 2006. The
University sponsors all polls conducted by its Center.

This poll undertakes Palestinian public opinions as relate to the new
political realities, particularly the unity government, the priorities of
Palestinian people, the expectations of Palestinian people from the new
government, Palestinian opinions in forms of resistance, in addition to an
assessment of the performance of Palestinian institutions.
______________________________________________________________________
The opinions represented in the results reflect those of the study; they do
not represent by any means the opinion of An-Najah National University.

The sample included 1360 persons whose age group is 18 and above and who
have the right to vote. The enclosed questionnaire was distributed on 860
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 3.8% of the
members of the sample refused to answer the questionnaire.

The General Results:
· 41.8% of respondents were pessimistic towards the general
Palestinian conditions at this stage.
· 86.8% of respondents did not feel safe neither for themselves nor
for their families and properties under the present circumstances.
· 69.5% of respondents said that their economic situation under the
current circumstances is deteriorating.
· 74.8% of respondents said that the local security conditions
deteriorated.
· 42.8% of respondents said that their priority at the present stage
is putting an end to the security mayhem.
· 54.3% of respondents said that a unity government is the most
ideal form of government for running the country's affairs.
· 65.5% of respondents said that the agreement reached on a unity
government will free Palestinian people from the political and financial
sanctions; 23.5%said the opposite.
· 56.2% of respondents said that Hamas movement is really in favor
with a successful unity government: 33.4% said the opposite.
· 59.3% of respondents said that Fateh movement is really in favor
of a successful unity government: 30.5% said the opposite.
· 30.7% of respondents said that the major reason behind the delay
in forming a unity government was outside interference and 22.9% said that
it was disagreement over the political program of the government.
· 29.6% of respondents support the idea that the future unity
government should only be a services government.
· 48.8% of respondents supported the idea that negotiation should
only be the responsibility of the PLO.
· 82.9% of respondents supported the reformation of the PLO so that
it would include all Palestinian factions, including those which are not
part of it.
· As for the priorities of the future Palestinian government
respondents saw the following:
- 84.4% were in favor of imposing order on the local security
conditions
- 83.5% were in favor of creating job opportunities.
- 82.8% were in favor of improving the economic conditions and
encouraging investments.
- 82.7% were in favor of improving public health services.
- 82.6% were in favor of improving public education.
- 78.7% were in favor of carrying out court verdicts.
- 77.6% were in favor of improving the work of local councils.
- 80.1% were in favor of reforming the security apparatuses.
· 59.9% of respondents supported armed operations inside Israel;
34.9% rejected them.
· 65.7% of respondents supported concentrating armed operations
within the borders of the 1967 occupied territories
· 42.4% of respondents rejected firing rockets at Israeli targets
from the Gaza Strip.
· 43.2% of respondents said that firing rockets against Israeli
targets from the Gaza Strip hurts the Palestinian cause; 34.7% said it
serves the Palestinian cause positively.
· 34.9% of respondents said the form of struggle that best serves
the Palestinian cause is the armed struggle.
· 69.6% of respondents said that kidnapping foreign journalists and
sympathizers with Palestinians hurts the Palestinian cause.
· 85.4% of respondents said that there is some outside intervention
in the Palestinian decision; 8.7% said that it is an Arab intervention,
18.4% said that it is a foreign one, 72.5% said that it is both foreign and
Arab, and 75% said that this intervention is a negative one.
· Within the present circumstances 31.4% of respondents said that
they think of emigrating.
· 31.2% of respondents said that that they may emigrate if proper
living conditions become available to them abroad.
· 43.7% of respondents said that the main cause that compels them to
think of emigrating is lack of security; 23.8% said that it is the poor
economic situation.
· 66.9% of respondents supported completing local councils elections
in the areas where they were not conducted yet.
· 45.5% of respondents supported the coming of Bader forces from
Jordan to the Palestinian territories; 31.7% of respondents said that Bader
forces are capable of imposing order in the Palestinian territories
· Respondents assessed the performance of the following institutions
as "good" with the following percentages:
- 53.2% Palestinian Presidency
- 43.5% Palestinian Government
- 40.4% Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC)
- 34.3% judicial system
- 31.8% security apparatuses
- 70.4% Palestinian universities
· As for political affiliation respondents gave the following
results:

People's Party1.3%
Democratic Front1.2%
Islamic Jihad3.9%
Fateh34.9%
Hamas18.4%
Fida0.8%
Popular Front4.9%
Palestinian National Initiative0.8%
I am an independent nationalist7.2%
I am an independent Islamist4.2%
None of the above20.8%
Others1.6%

IMRA: selected detail

www.najah.edu/english/Centers/polls/poll25a.asp
Do you support or reject armed operations inside Israel?
Total *West Bank* #Gaza Strip#
I strongly support 23.4*19*#31#
I support 36.5*37.4*#35#
I reject 28.1*30.8*#23.4#
I strongly reject 6.8*7.1*#6.4#
No opinion/I do not know 5.1*5.7*#4.2#

Do you support or reject concentrating Palestinian resistance within the
1967 borders alongside with political negotiations?
Total *West Bank* #Gaza Strip#
I strongly support 21.7*14.3*#34.4#
I support 44*50.2*#33.2#
I reject 23.8*25.7*#20.4#
I strongly reject 5.7*3.6*#9.4#
No opinion/I do not know 4.9*6.2*#2.6#

Do support or reject firing rockets by Palestinian factions from the Strip
against Israel?
Total *West Bank* #Gaza Strip#
I strongly support 17.1*14.1*#22.4#
I support 35.5*39.1*#29.4#
I reject 30.8*32.8*#27.4#
I strongly reject 11.6*8.5*#17#
No opinion/I do not know 4.9*6.5*#3.8#

Do think that firing rockets from the Gaza Strip against Israel hurts or
helps Palestinian national struggle?
Total *West Bank* #Gaza Strip#
It helps 34.7*30.8*#41.4#
It hurts 43.2*46.7*#37.2#
It is useless 13.2*18.5*#17.6#
No opinion/I do not know 3.9*4*#3.8#

In your opinion and under the current local and international circumstances
what form of struggle would best serve the Palestinian cause?
Peaceful struggle (demonstrations; sit ins--)14.6
Armed struggle 34.9
Diplomatic struggle (international stands and forums)15
Resorting to negotiations as in the past 27.4
Other 4.8
No opinion/I do not know 3.3

Do think that kidnapping and detaining sympathizers and journalists by some
would help Palestinian struggle?
Total *West Bank* #Gaza Strip#
It serves 7.8*4.2*#14#
It hurts 69.6*76.4*#58#
It is useless 20.7*17.4*#26.2#
No opinion/I do not know 1.9*2*#1.8#

Do you think that there is an outside interference in the Palestinian
political decision?
Yes 85.4 No 10
No opinion/I do not know 4.6

If your response to the above question is "yes", do you think that the
interference is --------?
Arabic 8.7 Foreign 18.4 Both Arabic and foreign 72.5
No opinion/I do not know 0.3

Generally, how do you assess the interference in the Palestinian political
decision?
Positive 9.5 Negative 75 Without effect 11.7
No opinion/I do not know 3.8

Under your current circumstances, do you think of emigrating to another
country?
Total *West Bank* #Gaza Strip#
Yes 31.4*25.8*#41#
No 67.6*73.5*#57.4#
No opinion/I do not know 1*0.7*#1.6#

If proper conditions are made available to you to live outside Palestine,
will you think of emigrating?
Total *West Bank* #Gaza Strip#
Yes 31.2*28.1*#36.4#
No 68.1*71*#63#
No opinion/I do not know 0.7*0.8*#0.6#

What is the main cause that would make you think of emigrating?
Lack of security 23.8
The poor economic situation 43.7
Fear of a civil war 7.4
The absence of a possible political breakthrough that would give some hope
20.9
No opinion/I do not know 3.4

Do you support or reject the completion of the local councils' elections at
the present time?
Total *West Bank* #Gaza Strip#
I support 66.9*72*#58.2#
I reject 26.3*22.9*#32#
No opinion/I do not know 6.8*5.1*#9.8#

Lately, there has been a talk about the possibility of the coming of Bader
Corps from Jordan to the Palestinian Territories for the purpose of putting
an end to the present security disorder. Are in favor of the coming of these
troops?
Total *West Bank* #Gaza Strip#
Yes 45.5*40.9*#53.4#
No 43.5*49.7*#32.8#
No opinion/I do not know 11*9.4*#13.8#

Do you think that Bader Corps will be able to control the security
situations in the Palestinian Territories?
Total *West Bank* #Gaza Strip#
Yes 31.7*29.7*#35.2#
No 49.1*52.4*#43.4#
No opinion/I do not know 19.2*17.9*#21.4#

Which of the following political affiliations do you support?
People's Party 1.3 Democratic Front 1.2 Islamic Jihad 3.9
Fateh 34.9 Hamas 18.4 Fida 0.8 Popular Front 4.9
Palestinian National Initiative 0.8
I am an independent nationalist 7.2
I am an independent Islamist 4.2
None of the above 20.8
Others 1.6