Palestinian pollster to IMRA: Palestinian support for state in '67
territories doesn't mean accept Israeli state
Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA 6 November 2008

At the request of an Israeli radio station, IMRA contacted today the
An-Najah National University Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies
with the following question relating to a poll they carried out 18-20
September 2008 (poll repeated below):

Dear Sirs,

I was interested in knowing your interpretation as to how can the same poll
have these two results?

Do you support or reject the creation of two states on the
historic land of
Palestine (a Palestinian state and Israel)?
42.5% I support
54.3% I reject
3.2% No opinion/I do not know

Do you support or reject the creation of a Palestinian state on the 1967
occupied territories?
67.1% I support
29.6% I reject
3.4% No opinion/I do not know

Best regards,
Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA www.imra.org.il tel 09-7604719

the following is the reply:
:
Dear Dr. Lerner;

Thank you for your e-mail. The result you asked about is correct, in my
experience many people support to create a Palestinian state on 1967
territories, but when you asked them about Israel they rejected due to many
different factors, one of it they oppose Israel' existence, and you find
this among Hamas supporter for example according to Poll No. 35 that 72.4%
of Hamas supporters reject the creation of two state on the historic land of
Palestine (a Palestinian state and Israel), and 52.6% of Hamas supporters
reject of a Palestinian state on the 1967 occupied territories , thus, you
found a gap between the two questions.
According to your question 53.4% of Gazans want to emigrate, yes this result
is true, because of a difficult socio-economic and political situations in
Gaza Strip in these days.
Best wishes
Dr. Hussein Ahmad
Director, Opinion Polls and Survey Studies Center
An-Najah National University
Nablus

-------------
An-Najah National University
Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies
Tel: (972) (9) 2345113 Fax: (972)(9) 2345982
Nablus - Palestinian: P.O.Box 7, 707
Email: Polls@najah.edu hussein596@yahoo.com
Results of Palestinian Public Opinion Poll
No. 35 18-20 September 2008

Following are the results of the Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No. 35
conducted by the Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies at An-Najah
National University during the period from 18-20 September 2008. The
University sponsors all polls conducted by its Center.

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.

Do you support or reject dissolving the PLC?
23.2% I strongly support
37.9% I support
23.4% I reject
6.2% I strongly reject
6.3% No opinion/I do not know

Do you support or reject conducting new Presidential elections by the end of
the current president's term
14.0% I strongly support
6.1% I support
26.8% I reject
50.7% I strongly reject
2.5% No opinion/I do not know

Do you support or reject continuing negotiations under their present
realities between the Palestinian Authority and Israel?
13.5% I strongly support
37.1% I support
33.4% I reject
13.5% I strongly reject
2.4% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that the current PLC members are performing their duties as
required of them?
18.4% Yes
70.4% No
11.3% No opinion/I do not know

Do you support or reject bringing Arab troops to the Gaza Strip?
12.8% I strongly support
29.6% I support
33.7% I reject
21.1% I strongly reject
2.8% No opinion/I do not know

Do you support or reject the position of Palestinian factions that oppose
bringing Arab troops to the Gaza Strip?
17.4% I strongly support
35.3% I support
34.6% I reject
8.0% I strongly reject
4.7% No opinion/I do not know

Do you support or reject bringing Arab troops to the West Bank?
9.0% I strongly support
21.1% I support
45.7% I reject
21.0% I strongly reject
3.2% No opinion/I do not know

Do you support or reject sending Arab troops to the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip simultaneously?
27.4% Yes
67.4% No
5.2% No opinion/I do not know

Hamas movement and Israel declared a truce in the Gaza Strip by which Hamas
stops firing rockets against Israel and, in return, Israel stops its
military operations in the Gaza Strip. Do you support or reject this truce?
19.2% I strongly support
52.3% I support
17.8% I reject
8.5% I strongly reject
2.3% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that by accepting the truce Hamas is retreating from the armed
struggle option?
37.1% Yes
55.9% No
7.0% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip agreed
willingly on the truce that Hamas declared?
40.4% They agreed willingly
39.9% They agreed under some pressure from Hamas
2.6% Other
17.1% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that the truce between Hamas and Israel is an introduction to
direct negotiations on the future of the Gaza Strip?
48.8% Yes
40.7% No
10.5% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that Fateh movement is serious in its call for a comprehensive
national reconciliation?
54.9% Yes
38.8% No
6.3% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that Hamas movement is serious in its call for a comprehensive
national reconciliation?
39.2% Yes
52.0% No
8.8% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that the Palestinian public are ready to bring a national
reconciliation to a success?
58.2% Yes
35.4% No
6.4% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that the leaders of all Palestinian factions are really
concerned with a successful national reconciliation?
51.8% Yes
39.9% No
8.2% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that the Palestinian Presidency is serious in its call for a
comprehensive national reconciliation?
54.9% Yes
37.5% No
7.6% No opinion/I do not know

There are several Arab attempts made towards achieving a reconciliation
between Fateh and Hamas. Do you think that these attempts will succeed?
36.5% Yes
50.8% No
12.7% No opinion/I do not know

There has been a media proposition lately referring to the formation of a
Hashemite Jordanian-Palestinian kingdom. Do you support or reject such
proposition?
9.7% I strongly support
17.9% I support
34.0% I reject
32.8% I strongly reject
5.6% No opinion/I do not know

Do you support or reject dissolving the Palestinian Authority?
13.4% I strongly support
28.3% I support
37.6% I reject
16.5% I strongly reject
4.2% No opinion/I do not know

Who in your opinion from among Palestinians is responsible for the on-going
internal Palestinian division?
14.6% Fateh movement
22.6% Hamas movement
52.0% Some persons from both movements
4.2% Other (specify)
6.6% No opinion/I do not know

Do you support or reject the creation of two states on the historic land of
Palestine (a Palestinian state and Israel)?
42.5% I support
54.3% I reject
3.2% No opinion/I do not know

Do you support or reject the creation of a Palestinian state on the 1967
occupied territories?
67.1% I support
29.6% I reject
3.4% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that the negotiations that President Mahmoud Abbas is
conducting will lead to the creation of a Palestinian state on the 1967
occupied territories?
36.0% Yes
53.7% No
10.3% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that the Palestinian resistance in its present form will lead
to the creation of a Palestinian state on the 1967 occupied territories?
32.9% Yes
59.0% No
8.2% No opinion/I do not know

How do you assess the performance of the Palestinian Presidency at the
present time?
61.2% Good
31.8% Bad
7.1% No opinion/I do not know

Regardless of its legitimacy or illegitimacy, do you support or reject the
general policy of the Palestinian government led by Salam Fayyad?
57.3% I support
32.3% I reject
10.4% No opinion/I do not know

Regardless of its legitimacy or illegitimacy, do you support or reject the
general policy of the dissolved government of Ismael Haniyeh?
29.0% I support
61.0% I reject
10.0% No opinion/I do not know

How do you assess the performance of Salam Fayyad's care-taker government?
58.6% Good
30.4% Bad
11.0% No opinion/I do not know

How do you assess the performance of Ismael Haniyeh's dissolved government?
29.4% Good
58.1% Bad
12.5% No opinion/I do not know

If presidential elections are held in the present time, to whom from among
the following do you give your vote?
7.3% An independent candidate
2.8% A candidate from the left
13.4% A candidate from Hamas
29.6% A candidate from Fateh
6.0% A national independent candidate
3.7% An Islamic independent candidate
23.1% I will not participate in the elections
14.1% I have not decided yet

If new PLC elections are conducted, whom do you vote for?
6.1% An independent ticket
3.1% A ticket from the left
13.8% A ticket from Hamas
29.6% A ticket from Fateh
6.0% A national independent ticket
4.6% An Islamic independent ticket
21.9% I will not participate in the elections
14.9% I have not decided yet

If new legislative elections were to be held today, which of the following
would win?
5.5% Independent Islamists bloc
7.9% Independent Nationalist bloc
42.9% Fateh bloc
17.2% Hamas bloc
2.0% A bloc from leftist organizations
24.5% No opinion/I do not know

Are you in favor of forming a transitional government for the purpose of
preparing for and supervising new presidential and PLC elections?
78.2% Yes
15.2% No
6.6% No opinion/I do not know

Do you think that the Palestinian security forces are capable of imposing
law and order on the areas in which they were redeployed?
61.0% Yes
34.0% No
5.1% No opinion/I do not know

Do you support or reject the notion that Palestinian arms should be in the
hands of Palestinian security apparatuses, and that any other arms in the
hands of other Palestinian men will be considered arms for racketeering
business?
71.3% I support
25.4% I reject
3.2% No opinion/I do not know

Are you worried about your life under the present circumstances?
52.7% Yes
46.1% No
1.2% No opinion/I do not know

Do the current security, political and economic circumstances urge you to
emigrate?
37.2% Yes
62.0% No
0.8% No opinion/I do not know

Do the current security, political and economic circumstances urge you to
emigrate?
West Bank
27.8% Yes
72.0% No
0.2% No opinion/I do not know

Gaza Strip
Do the current security, political and economic circumstances urge you to
emigrate?
53.4% Yes
44.8% No
1.8% No opinion/I do not know

Are you pessimistic or optimistic towards the general Palestinian situation
at this stage?
35.8% Optimistic
61.2% Pessimistic
3.0% No opinion/I do not know

Under the present circumstances, do you feel that you, your family and your
properties are safe?
22.2% Yes
32.4% May be
44.6% No
0.8% No opinion/I do not know

Which of the following political affiliations do you support?PARTY
0.7% People's Party
1.0% Democratic Front
2.1% Islamic Jihad
36.0% Fateh
14.4% Hamas
0.1% Fida
3.5% Popular Front
0.7% Palestinian National Initiative
6.7% I am an independent nationalist
2.9% I am an independent Islamist
30.8% None of the above