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Hamas-led government says some public salaries to be paid, first since March |
| By: Associated Press |
| Published: September 27, 2006 |
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Most Palestinians favor adopting the tactics of the Lebanese Hezbollah, which fired almost 4,000 rockets at Israel during the recent war, according to a poll released Tuesday. However, even more Palestinians support a cease-fire with Israel.
The contradictory results emerged from a poll conducted jointly by the Truman Institute of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah.
The poll, conducted between Sept. 10-19, also found that a majority of Israelis favor talks with the Palestinian government, even if it is lead by the Islamic Hamas alone. Israel, the U.S. and Europe are boycotting the Hamas-led government, listing Hamas, which rejects Israel, as a terror group. Hamas suicide bombers have killed hundreds of Israelis.
The poll of Palestinians showed that 63 percent favored emulating the tactics of Hezbollah by launching rockets at Israeli cities, while 35 percent were opposed. Also, 75 percent favored abducting Israeli soldiers, while 23 percent were opposed. Hamas-linked militants captured a soldier in a cross-border raid at the end of June, setting off an Israeli military offensive in Gaza. Three weeks later, Hezbollah triggered a war by capturing two soldiers on the Israeli side of the Lebanon border.
The poll also found that 77 percent of Palestinians favor a cease-fire with Israel, and 74 percent believe that armed action is not enough -- they must reach a political agreement with Israel.
Despite the recent violence, the poll found an increasing number of Israelis prepared to talk to a Palestinian government with a Hamas element. It said 67 percent favor talks with a unity government with the more moderate Fatah alongside Hamas, and 56 percent backed talks with a Hamas-led government.
Results from a similar poll before the outbreaks of violence in Gaza and Lebanon showed slightly less support among Israelis for such negotiations.
For the Palestinian poll, 1,270 adults were interviewed face to face, yielding a margin of error of 3 percentage points. The Israeli survey of 500 Jews and 401 Arabs was conducted by telephone and weighted to reflect the breakdown of the society, quoting a margin of error of 3.9 percent. |
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