Whoo Hoo! Palestinians Reject Bombings

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Registered: 07-25-2003
Whoo Hoo! Palestinians Reject Bombings
Tue, 12-16-2003 - 4:56pm
52% at least; the largest percentage in 3 years.

Fewer Palestinians back suicide bombings-poll



By Reuters

Palestinian public support for suicide bomb attacks in Israel has dropped to its lowest level in three years of Middle East conflict, according to a poll released on Tuesday.



Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's rating also declined but he remained more than twice as popular as any other public figure, the survey by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) found.

In a report on its web site, it said 48 percent favored suicide bombings -- less than half for the first time since March 2000, six months before an uprising against Israel erupted as U.S.-brokered peace talks broke down.

Fifty-nine percent polled by the independent institute in October backed suicide attacks, staying within a range of slightly over half dating back to the start of the bloodshed.

Another poll by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics of Palestinians aged 10 to 24 found a majority opposed suicide bombings but gave no figure. It said 57.8 percent wanted peace negotiations with Israel to resume.

In the PSR's latest representative survey of 1,319 adults, support for militant attacks on Israeli soldiers and settlers in occupied West Bank and Gaza territory remained high at 87 percent.

But 83 percent also supported a complete, mutual cease-fire and 53 percent said they would back a Palestinian Authority crackdown on militants who violated such a truce.

But 80 percent worried that such a crackdown could lead to civil war -- a reason often cited by Palestinian leaders for rebuffing Israeli demands to break up militant groups.

A U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan charts reciprocal steps including an end to militant violence and a freeze on Jewish settlement to pave the way for a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza by 2005.

Palestinians backing suicide bombings, carried out mainly by people in their teens and twenties, have regarded them as the only way to counter Israel's overwhelming military might.

But recent polls have detected waning support for violence that has brought little but Israeli military crackdowns imposing hardship on the population at large, and growing support for a mutual cease-fire to revitalize peacemaking.

Arafat's support fell in the PSR poll to 38 percent from 50 percent in October and his Fatah movement slipped into a tie at 25 percent with the two main Islamist militant factions.

But most Palestinians -- 40 percent -- professed no political affiliation, continuing a trend.

The PSR questioned 1,319 people from December 4 to 9 and the PCBS surveyed 5,600. Both had a three percent margin of error.





Renee