Middle East News
Poll: 68 per cent of Palestinians favour early elections
Jul 29, 2007, 12:31 GMT
Ramallah - An overwhelming majority of Palestinians - 68 per cent - favour early legislative and presidential elections in the Palestinian territories as a solution to the current political crisis in the Palestinian Authority, a poll published Sunday has found.
The survey, conducted by the research centre of al-Najjah University in Nablus, also found that if elections were held now, the Islamic Hamas movement would receive only 15.1 per cent of the vote, compared to 42 per cent for President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
Hamas trounced Fatah in the January 2006 elections, winning a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Relations between the two movements, tense after the elections, despite the formation of a unity government in which they both participated, ruptured dramatically last month when Hamas gunmen routed their opposite numbers from Fatah in five days of savage fighting and took control of the Gaza Strip.
Abbas responded by dismissing the unity cabinet and installing a new one, headed by a political independent and based in the West Bank, in its place.
He also said in intends issuing a decree for new legislative and presidential elections, as a way out of the political imbroglio the PA now finds itself in.
Hamas has termed the Abbas-appointed government 'illegal' and rejected the call for new elections.
According to the poll, 60.8 percent of those questioned expressed concern that last months events in the Gaza Strip could be repeated in the West Bank, and 68 per cent were pessimistic about about the current situation in the PA.
Some 53.4 per cent thought the security situation in the Gaza Strip had deteriorated since Hamas assumed control of the salient, compared to 39.9 per cent who thought the opposite.
The poll surveyed 1361 people over the age of 18-years; 861 from the West Bank and 500 from the Gaza Strip.
The margin of error was 3 per cent, while 3.4 per cent refused to answer the poll's questions.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
'Mustafa KrappJul 29th, 2007 - 13:48:46
The country now named Israel was never the land of the Jews. The Jews have pushed the Palestinians back into what is no more than a compound.
It is time the west stopped it `total` support for Isrel who are the cause of much of what is wrong in that part of the world. Give the Palestinians back a large part of `their own land ` and let them live like human beings again.'
Ah the jew. If just no more...
The only real reason for the removal of Soddamn Hussein was that he appeared to be a threat to Israel, If only for his support of Palestine.
You are so right we should (MIND OUR OWN BUISNESS).
'The country now named Israel was never the land of the Jews.'
I guess you have never seen a bible...Eh?
'and let them live like human beings again.'
When they are occupied they behave like savages, when they are given land as in Gaza, they behave like savages, when they go to Jordan they behave like savages, when they go to Egypt they behave like savages, when they go to Lebanon, they behave like savages.... Sooner or later you have to come to the inescabable conclusion that they are going to behave like savages no matter what and Israel is just an excuse for them to do so.
Mustafa Krapp is so full of it: and it makes me want to take a dump. If his people would just put the same amount of energy they put into destroying and killing into building a country could you imagine how great that would be??. Yet they would rather hate hurt and destroy.
Much easier to knock down then to build-up.
How sad is that???
Really quite a pathetic people the Palestinians are.
Little facts yet unknown about Islamic culture:
Reason one faces east during prayers???
Anyone know…….don’t be shy………..
O.k. ,,O.K….
Have you ever heard of the western winds???
They blow from the west to the east, so when you are praying towards the east a wind is coming from behind and the body odor from the guy in front of you does not fly into your face.
Reason why one almost waves up and down when praying???
Come on this is an easy one…
Any takers??
O.K.
When the westward wind is not blowing or it is the summertime and baths are not taken regularly, one must fan the odor away from ones face.
Reason why women wear rags on their face?
This is because if you saw the teeth on the average women you would gasp in shock. One thing I was told that there is a great shortage of dentist in the Muslim world. Also tooth decay is so bad that the breath coming from these women is truly revolting. One once said that the smell from a backside of a camel is much more preferred buy Muslim men.
More little known facts later. Tomorrow we will examine the Islamic men’s love affair with sheep and camels…………
Israel is the source of all the problems in the Middle East. They were the true reason for the attack on Iraq by the USA and that nonce Toni Blair. Every person in Iraq will tell you they were better off when Saddam was in control. My brother Ivehadda lives there so I know. Israel
`invented` modern terrorism in 1947 with bombing and nailing British soldiers to wooden doors to be given a homeland in Palestine.
page: 1
Mustafa KrappJul 29th, 2007 - 13:48:46
The country now named Israel was never the land of the Jews. The Jews have pushed the Palestinians back into what is no more than a compound.
It is time the west stopped it `total` support for Isrel who are the cause of much of what is wrong in that part of the world. Give the Palestinians back a large part of `their own land ` and let them live like human beings again.
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