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Palestinian Public Opinion Polls: Attitudes Toward the Taba Agreement

(October 1995)

After signing the Interim Phase Agreement in Washington last week, how optimistic are you about the future in general? Would you say you are very optimistic, somehow optimistic, pessimistic, or very pessimistic?  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Very optimistic
25.5% 
25.8%
24.9%
Somehow optimistic
48.4%
48.2%
49.4%
Pessimistic
14.7%
15.5%
12.7%
Very Pessimistic 
7.5%
6.5%
10.1%
No opinion
3.9%
4.0%
2.9%

Upon the Palestinian Authority's assumption of responsibility in the West Bank, would you say that your feeling of security, in general, would be better, worse, or would you say that your feeling of security will not change?  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Better
62.3%
66.8%
50.9%
Worse
11.2%
11.0%
11.8%
Will not change
21.2%
17.2%
32.1%
Other
1.3%
1.3%
1.2%
No opinion 
4.0%
3.7%
4.0%

To what extent would you say that the Taba Agreement is a step toward the realization of the aspiration of the Palestinian people in establishing their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital?  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
A step towards the full realization of Palestinian aspirations
14.7%
15.1%
13.6%
A step towards the realization of some of the Palestinian aspirations 
54.6%
53.9%
56.9%
This agreement strengthens the occupation
19.1%
19.1%
19.1%
No opinion
11.6%
11.9%
10.4%

To what extent would you say you support or oppose the agreement reached between the PA and Israel over the Interim Phase? Would you say you strongly support, you cautiously support it, or would you say you totally oppose it?  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Strongly support 
23.7%
24.7%
21.4%
Cautiously support 
41.9%
42.7%
40.2%
Totally oppose
16.4%
16.1%
17.1%
I don't know the provisions of the agreement 
12.9%
11.7%
16.2%
No opinion
5.1%
4.8%
5.1%

How do you evaluate the performance of the PNA after one year of its work? Would you say its performance is good, fair, or poor?  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Good
37.1%
35.0%
43.1%
Fair
38.0%
39.6%
34.1%
Poor
15.0%
14.3%
16.5%
Other
1.5%
1.6%
1.2%
No opinion 
8.4%
9.5%
5.1%

Do you think that president Arafat is carrying out his work as the head of the PNA in a good, average, or bad way?  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Good
51.4%
49.9%
55.8%
Average
25.9%
26.8%
23.7%
Bad
11.8%
13.2%
8.4%
No opinion 
10.9%
10.1%
12.1%

After the passage of a year since the return of president Arafat and his assumption of the leadership of the PNA, has your support increased, decreased, not changed, or did you never support him?  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
My support increased 
32.0%
31.1%
34.7%
My support declined 
10.4%
12.5%
4.9%
My support did not change 
33.2%
34.3%
30.3%
I never supported him
16.8%
16.0%
18.8%
No opinion
7.6%
6.1%
11.3%

Within the present political circumstances, do you believe that the Palestinian delegation would have been able to reach a better agreement than the one reached last week?  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Yes
32.2%
36.6%
20.8%
No
43.0%
39.3%
53.2%
I do not know
13.7%
14.1%
12.7%
I am not interested in any agreement 
4.5%
3.8%
6.6%
No opinion 
6.6%
6.2%
6.7%

How do you evaluate the performance of the Palestinian delegation during the Taba negotiations?  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Good
35.7%
35.8%
35.5%
Fair
34.6%
36.1%
30.9%
Poor
13.3%
12.6%
15.0%
No opinion 
16.4%
15.5%
18.6%

To what extent would you say you know about the agreement?  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
I know about the agreement 
11.0%
12.3%
7.5%
I know something about the agreement 
54.9%
53.3%
59.2%
I do not know the agreement
26.2%
28.3%
20.8%
No opinion
7.9%
6.1%
12.5%

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the removal of Israeli settlements? 

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Optimistic
43.0%
40.0%
51.4%
Pessimistic
45.6%
49.2%
36.4%
I do not know 
7.5%
7.7%
6.9%
No opinion
3.9%
3.1%
5.3%

In general, would you say you support or oppose the peace process? 

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Support the peace process 
72.7%
73.7%
70.8%
Oppose the peace process
17.8%
17.2%
19.7%
No opinion
9.5%
9.1%
9.5%

If you are opponent to the peace process, would you say the opposition is practical in its program, not practical in its program, or would you say that the opponent follows an unclear path? (This question was asked only to those who say they oppose the peace proces in Q.12).  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Practical 
33.9%
24.5%
55.9%
Not practical
15.4%
18.2%
8.8%
Path unclear 
34.4%
42.1%
16.2%
No opinion
16.3%
15.1%
19.1%

Is Rabin sincere about implementing the agreements he signed with the Palestinians?  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Yes
27.2%
25.9%
30.9%
No
54.8%
56.0%
51.7%
No opinion 
18.0%
18.1%
17.4%

If the labour falls and Likud takes over the Israeli government in the coming elections, do you think the general Palestinian political situation will:  

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Improve
7.6%
7.6%
7.8%
Worsen
42.2%
44.1%
37.0%
Remain the same 
36.1%
34.6%
4.2%
No opinion
14.1%
13.7%
15.0%

Which is the most political or religious faction you trust most?

First Choice
 

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Fateh
41.3%
41.7%
40.5%
Hamas
10.7%
8.8%
15.6%
PFLP
3.6%
3.9%
2.9%
DFLP
0.5%
0.6%
0.3%
Islamic Jihad
2.4%
1.7%
4.0%
PPP
1.0%
1.0%
1.2%
FIDA
0.5%
0.5%
0.6%
Palestinian Struggle Front 
0.1%
--
--
Islamic religion 
0.9%
1.3%
--
Democracy building movements 
0.1%
--
0.3%
Do not trust anyone
20.9%
22.9%
15.9%
PLO
0.2%
0.2%
0.3%
No answer
17.5% 
17.2%
17.8%

Which Palestinian figure do you trust most?

First Choice
 

Total 
Yasser Arafat
36.8%
Nayef Hawatmeh
0.3%
Haider Abdul Shafi
4.6%
Abu Ala' - Ahmed Qrieh 
0.9% 
Jibriil Al-Rajoub
0.4%
Yasser Abed Rabbo
0.9%
Suleiman Najjab
0.2%
Bassam Jarrar
--
Mahmoud Zahhar
0.2%
Ahmed Yassin
5.5% 
Hanan Ashrawi
2.4%
Fathi Shakaki
0.5% 
Sa'eb Erikat
0.5%
Nabil Sha'ath
0.9%
Al-Rantisi
0.3%
Bashir Bargouthi
0.1%
Yihia A'yash
0.2%
Farouq Qaddoumi
1.9%
Amin Maraka
0.1%
Abu Mazen - Mahmoud Abbass 
0.5%
Faisal Husseini
2.1%
George Habash
3.4%
Ahmed Tibi
0.3%
Abbas Zaki
0.5%
I do not trust anyone
16.1%
Others
2.7%
No opinion
17.7%

Do you think Israel has the right to exist?

Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Yes
26.4%
26.3%
26.9%
No
65.2%
66.1%
63.0%
No opinion 
8.3%
7.6%
10.1%

Sources: JMCC - Jerusalem Media & Communications Centre