Palestinian poll: Faith in Hamas government is on the rise

Source: Haaretz, 4-7-2006
RAMALLAH - According to a recent poll of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip by the Jerusalem (Al-Quds) Media and Communication Centre, residents of the Palestinian Authority have faith in the new Hamas government. The survey was carried out two days before the attack in Kerem Shalom.
Forty-five percent of respondents approve of the changes the Hamas government made. For example, 50.2 percent rate the government`s performance with regard to education as "good," and only 14.1 percent rate it "not good." On health, these figures were 35 and 25 percent, respectively.
There was no change in either the education or health systems, said JMCC director Dr. Ghassan Khatib, a former PA minister. "But the public perceives the present government as having improved the situation, with the exception of domestic security."
"We are getting closer to the political model of the United States and Great Britain," Khatib said, "of two main parties, while the smaller parties continue to weaken."
According to Khatib, the Kerem Shalom incident greatly increased the popularity of Hamas among Palestinians. "And if Palestinian prisoners were to be released in exchange for the "Israeli" prisoner, its popularity would soar. If no prisoners are received in exchange, its popularity would be severely damaged."
One surprising finding of the poll is that Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh was voted the most trustworthy Palestinian leader by 18.2 percent of respondents, followed by 13 percent for PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and 5.6 percent for Marwan Barghouti.
"The most notable fact regarding this question is the leadership crisis perceived by Palestinians," Khatib said, with "27 percent saying they didn`t believe in any leader."
Overall, however, the most interesting survey finding is the growing gap between residents of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with the latter expressing more support for Hamas and Haniyeh than the former.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Legislative Council held its first session since "Israel" arrested 20 legislators from the West Bank last week. Many of the seats remained empty, out of fear of further "Israeli" arrests. About 100 children demonstrated to express solidarity with the captive lawmakers.