Palestinians Have Spoken: Poll Shows Majority Thinks Two-state Solution is Doomed

Palestinian men waiting at an Israeli military checkpoint in Qanaldiya, West Bank. (Photo: Tamar Fleishman, PC)

Two thirds of Palestinians believe the two-state solution is no longer viable and want Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to step down, a Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) poll revealed on Wednesday, as the public perception of the Palestinian situation remained ever more grim.

According to the responses of the 1,270 Palestinians polled by PSR, 64 percent want Abbas to resign, while only 32 percent sad they wanted him to remain president. In the Gaza Strip, the number of respondents who called for Abbas’ resignation soared to 72 percent.

In the wake of Fatah’s seventh conference, a majority of respondents expressed dissatisfaction regarding the outcome of the Palestinian Authority (PA) ruling party’s congress. Only 33 percent said they were satisfied with the decision to reappoint Abbas at the head of the party, with 57 percent of respondents saying they were dissatisfied.

Furthermore, 48 percent did not believe that Abbas’ new mandate as Fatah chairman would consolidate his legitimacy as president of the Palestinian Authority or head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Regarding the US presidential elections in November, those polled had a dismal view of the achievements of outgoing President Barack Obama regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with 83 percent saying that he had not made serious efforts to resolve the conflict.

PSR reported a sharp increase in the number of respondents who stated that they believed the two-state solution was no longer viable, jumping from 56 percent three months ago to 65 percent now, with only 31 percent remaining confident that it was still feasible. A further 62 percent said they supported abandoning the Oslo Accords.

A little over half of respondents — 54 percent — believe that Israel’s long term goal was to fully annex the occupied Palestinian territory and expel its Palestinian inhabitants, as nearly three quarters — 73 percent — said they were worried of being hurt by Israel or that their lands and homes would be confiscated or demolished.

(Ma’an, PC, Social Media)

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