Poll: More than 60% of Palestinians want Abbas to quit

Sixty-one per cent of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip want President Mahmoud Abbas to step down, a poll has found.

Felesteen.ps reported that a survey conducted by the by Palestinian Centre for Political and Polling Research between 11-14 September found that 50 per cent of Palestinians want a return to an armed intifada in light of the lack of progress in the peace process and 40 per cent want to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to be dissolved.

Between 32 and 50 per cent of respondents said the government’s performance has been worse than that of its predecessor.

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While 56 per cent oppose the two-state solution; with 37 per cent preferring armed resistance and 32 per cent in favour of a peaceful solution to the Palestinian cause.

Up to 69 per cent reject the US peace deal subbed the “deal of the century” and 72 per cent reject American involvement in solving the Palestinian refugee crisis.

Almost three quarters – 72 per cent – want legislative and presidential elections to be held and want the PA to lift the sanctions it has imposed on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The poll found that 63 per cent of Palestinians in Gaza feel safe compared to 52 per cent in the West Bank, while 43 per cent said they are free to criticise Hamas in Gaza and 36 per cent said they feel free to criticise Fatah in the West Bank.