RAMALLAH, March 2, 2017 (WAFA) – While majority of Palestinians have become more pessimistic regarding the possibility of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict following the election of US President Donald Trump, majority yet still believe in the two-state solution and negotiations as the best method to reach a peace settlement with Israel, according to the findings of a new public opinion poll published Thursday.
The poll by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre (JMCC) conducted in cooperation with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung showed that 53.7% of respondents have become more pessimistic regarding the possibility of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict after the election of Trump, as opposed to 4.7% who became more optimistic.
In comparison, when Barack Obama was elected president in 2009, 28.1% of respondents were more optimistic while 18.9% more pessimistic.
In addition, 48.5% said the election of Trump would decrease the chances of reaching a just peace between Palestinians and Israelis against 5.1% who said his election would increase the chances for peace between the two sides.
Nevertheless, the percentage of those who believe the two-state formula is the preferred solution to the conflict increased from 43.7% in July of last year to 49.6%, and the percentage of those who believe peaceful negotiations are the best method to reach a settlement increased from 33.6% in March 2015 to 37.6% this February.
At the same time, 23.4% of respondents called for revocation of Palestinian recognition of Israel if the US moves its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, 19.7% said they support a boycott of the US embassy, 18.7% supported filing a complaint with the United Nations against the US and 16.5% supported an end to dealings with the US as a sponsor of the peace process.
On elections, the poll showed an increase in the percentage of those who support elections under any circumstances to reach 46.9% in February compared to 37.6% in March of last year with 40.4% saying they would vote for Fatah.
If presidential elections took place and President Mahmoud Abbas did not run, Marwan Barghouti would be the preferred option of Palestinians with 14.6% of respondents voting in his favor.
In general, the biggest percentage of respondents, 35.4%, still said they trust Fatah the most among the Palestinian political and religious factions as opposed to 16.3% who trusted Hamas the most, followed by the PFLP with 3.8%.
A random sample of 1199 people over the age of 18 was interviewed face-to-face throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip between February 17 and 21, with a 3% margin of error was .
M.K.
