Palestinians favour a one-state over a two-state solution, poll finds

Palestinians in Israeli occupied West Bank favour one bi-national state over a two-state solution, a new opinion poll conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre (JMCC) shows. Support for the international status quo is losing ground, in favour of a solution based on equal rights for the 12 million people in historic Palestine, found the survey conducted in cooperation with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), a foundation associated with the Social Democratic Party of Germany.

The report on the findings of the polls explained the declining trend in support for the two-state solution as a consequence of the impasse on the political horizon and the failure of the peace process, which began nearly three decades ago in 1993 during the Oslo Process.

Though it was meant to end Israel’s decades-long military occupation and complete takeover of Palestine, the Oslo Process is generally seen by Palestinians as a miserable failure. Instead of ending the occupation, the Oslo period saw Israel further entrench its colonial domination through the construction of illegal settlements and the transfer of its population to Jewish only territory in the West Bank.

The percentage of Palestinians who believe that the two-state solution is the best way forward has dropped from 39.3 per cent in April to 29.4 per cent today. While the percentage of those who support the bi-national one-state solution rose from 21.4 per cent to 26 per cent in the same period.

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Support for one-state is higher amongst Palestinians in the Israeli occupied West Bank. Of the three million pooled, 30.2 per cent said they favoured a one-state solution compared to 23.6 per cent who said that they favoured a two-state solution. With 37.9 per cent, the two-state solution remains the preferred option for the besieged population of Gaza.

Polling revealed a thirst for Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and presidential elections. Some 70.6 per cent of those polled said President Mahmoud Abbas should announce a new date for general elections while 18.6 per cent said he should not.

Results show a huge drop in the level of satisfaction over Abbas. Satisfaction over the 86-year-old, who earlier this year cancelled the first election in 15 years, slummed by 15 per cent. Abbas had a surprising 50 per cent approval rating in April, which has dropped to 35 per cent. Meanwhile, the percentage of those dissatisfied with his performance rose to 57.5 per cent from 42 per cent last April.

Asked about the most pressing problem they face in their lives, the vast majority of Palestinians, 62.7 per cent, said that it was the Israeli occupation. Long way down in second place is corruption with 47.6 per cent and in third was the lack of economic opportunities at 45 per cent.