Poll: 64% of Palestinians want Abbas to quit

The majority of Palestinians, 64 per cent, want Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to step down, Quds Press reported yesterday.

According to a poll conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research, Abbas and Haniyeh had the support of 47 per cent of the Palestinians, showing an increase for Haniyeh and decline for Abbas.

The poll, which was conducted between 8-11 March, showed a retreat in Fatah’s popularity compared to the period before the Fatah Seventh Conference, however, it remains more popular than Hamas.

Read: Palestinian security spokesman: 4 meetings held in the region’s capital against Abbas

The poll showed that although the number of people who support the two-state solution has increased, less than half the Palestinians back this result. The majority, however, believe this is not practical as a result of settlement expansion in the occupied territories.

The overwhelming majority of respondents said they were not content with the PA’s response to the settlements issue and believe the case should be taken to the International Criminal Court.

If Abbas does not run for presidential elections, the poll showed, imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Al-Barghouti would get 33 per cent and Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh would obtain 20, Mohamed Dahlan seven per cent, Salam Fayyad three per cent and Saeb Erekat two per cent.

The poll showed that 69 per cent of the Palestinians would take part in parliamentary elections in which Hamas would get 30 per cent of votes and Fatah 36 per cent.

About 77 per cent believe that the PA is corrupted and 47 per cent believe that its institutions have become a burden on Palestinians.