Alwaght: Most Palestinians have lost faith in Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and want him to resign while Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would be elected president if elections are held, an opinion poll has revealed.
The poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip has revealed that an overwhelming majority have lost faith in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, with two-thirds of poll participants demanding his resignation.
The poll, which was conducted between September 14-16 and published on Tuesday, revealed that a majority of the population in the West Bank and Gaza are worried about the future of civil liberties in the territories, amidst a rise in the arrest of journalists and activists who speak out against Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) under Abbas’ new Cyber Crimes Law, which has been described by rights groups as “draconian” and “the worst law in the PA’s history.”
According to the center’s findings, “a large majority believes that Palestinians cannot criticize the PA without fear. In fact, half of the public believes that the PA has now become a burden on the Palestinian people,” with the center adding that these fears “might be responsible for the increase in the demand for the resignation of President Abbas.”
Ismail HaniyehIn their findings, the center went on to declare that if presidential elections were to be held today, across the West Bank and Gaza, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would win against Abbas, noting, however, that the Fatah movement still remains more popular than the Hamas movement in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, optimism about the success of national reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas stood at 31 percent, while 61 percent of poll takers expressed pessimism towards the prospect. Three months ago optimism stood at 27 percent and pessimism at 64 percent.
Furthermore, 57% of Palestinians according to the poll think that the so-called two-state solution is no longer viable or practical due to Israeli regime’s increased illegal settlement expansion, while a minority 40% think it remains feasible.
