Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

62 percent of Palestinians support suicide attacks – poll
Jerusalem Post ^ | Nov. 6, 2003 | KHALED ABU TOAMEH

Posted on 11/07/2003 10:15:32 AM PST by yonif

A majority of Palestinians continues to support suicide attacks against Israeli civilians, according to a new public opinion poll published on Thursday by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center (JMCC). The poll found that 61.8 percent of Palestinians supported suicide attacks, while 34.9% are opposed to this form of terrorism.

Another 67.9% said they supported the resumption of "military operations" against Israel "as a suitable response within the current political conditions." Twenty-eight percent said they rejected such attacks and because they find them harmful to Palestinian national interests.

A majority of 42.3% said they supported the resumption of attacks inside Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip as opposed to 14.1% who said the attacks should be restricted only to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. More than 23.5% of those polled voiced opposition to the resumption of terrorist attacks on both sides of the Green Line.

The poll, which covered a random sample of 1198 people over the age of 18 – 758 in the West Bank, and 440 in the Gaza Strip. It was conducted between October 18 and 21, with a 3% margin of error, and a confidence level of 95.

JMCC public opinion polls are supported by a fund from Fredrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation in Germany.

Of those surveyed, 58.9% are pessimistic about the future in general, while another 71.9% are not optimistic about the chances of reaching a peaceful settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

In regard to the intifada, 76.8% supported its continuation, with only 21.7% saying that they want to see an end to the violence. In response to a question about the end results of the of the intifada, 44.6% said the goal should be ending the occupation on the basis of UN Resolution 242 and establishing a Palestinian state. Another 43.0% said the intifada should end in the liberation of all of historic Palestine.

However, 45.7% said they supported the two-state formula as the best solution for the conflict as opposed to 25.3% who said that the best solution would be a bi-national state on all of historic Palestine.

The poll showed that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat continues to enjoy Palestinian support, with 59.8% saying they would expect him to be re-elected if free and democratic elections were held today, as opposed to 30.8% that did not expect Arafat to win.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Israel; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: cultureofhate; cultureofterror; ploterrorregime; roadmap; suicideterror
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last
To: stevem
A good question. My guess is that they don't mind other people doing it, even their own family members. But most would never do it themselves.
21 posted on 11/07/2003 10:48:44 AM PST by GulliverSwift (Howard Dean is the doppelganger of the Joker, only more insane.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Ashamed Canadian
Hello people, time to smell the coffee.

It sure is.

Mohammed, The Mad Poet Quoted....

22 posted on 11/07/2003 11:00:17 AM PST by PsyOp ( Citizenship ought to be reserved for those who carry arms. - Aristotle.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: onedoug; yonif
No Arab state in Eretz Yisrael.
EVER!

Since you are including Gaza in that, not to mention all the Arab cities in Judea and Samaria, then I must hope that your position never becomes Israeli government policy. What do you do with the Palestinians? No Arab nation will take them. Neither will anybody else. What do you propose? Genocide?

Build the fence, wall them in, keep them all out of Israel. This will stop, or at the very least greatly reduce, the violence. Once terrorism no longer works and is no longer possible perhaps we won't have to treat Palestinians like dangerous animals. All it would take was for them to stop acting like dangerous animals.

23 posted on 11/07/2003 11:07:28 AM PST by anotherview ("Ignorance is the choice not to know" -Klaus Schulze)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: dennisw; Cachelot; Yehuda; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; ...
If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.
24 posted on 11/07/2003 11:14:40 AM PST by SJackson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: yonif
we should not give a nickel to these animals
25 posted on 11/07/2003 11:16:19 AM PST by petercooper (Proud member of the VRWC)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: anotherview
All it would take was for them to stop acting like dangerous animals.

Can I have some of what you're smoking?

26 posted on 11/07/2003 11:19:27 AM PST by adx (Why's it called "tourist season" if you ain't allowed to shoot 'em?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: yonif
The poll found that 61.8 percent of Palestinians supported suicide attacks

That's down from 99.9%. So there is hope. Either that or the numbers can't reflect the ones who would have said yes to suicide attacks and are now unable to because they've already carried out one and are now quite dead.

Sigh. Israel is in such a horrible neighborhood.

27 posted on 11/07/2003 11:20:13 AM PST by MrsEmmaPeel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: adx
I don't smoke anything. The idea of unilateral separation assumes that a negotiated peace is impossible under the current circumstances. There is a theory, expressed by, among others, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, that if you separate the Palestinians and make it impossible for them to enter Israel (and therefore impossible to kill Israelis) they *may* consider some other approach is necessary. The idea is that a separation fence may create a better climate in which the Palestinians may actually negotiate in good faith.

The beauty of separation is that it does NOT depend on the Palestinians ever giving up their dreams of destroying Israel. If they do under a different leadership some day perhaps they will get a better deal and the ability to trade with Israel and benefit economically. If they don't, well... they can rot behind the wall for all I care.
28 posted on 11/07/2003 11:32:01 AM PST by anotherview ("Ignorance is the choice not to know" -Klaus Schulze)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: anotherview
What do you propose?

Arresting, or preferably killing in that process every Islamist with any demonstrable ties to terror whatsoever.

Imprison them, dump then into the Sinai (where they can wander for 40 years), or Jordan, Saudi Arabia or Europe.

Anyone then wishing to remain would be compelled to swear an oath of allegiance to the Jewish state. If they won't, they go too.

29 posted on 11/07/2003 11:37:19 AM PST by onedoug
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: anotherview
http://www.therightroadtopeace.com
30 posted on 11/07/2003 12:13:47 PM PST by yonif ("If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem, Let My Right Hand Wither" - Psalms 137:5)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: yonif
Polls taken under vicious dictatorships aren't worth the paper they are printed on. Of course they say they support it, if they don't it's death & mayhem.
31 posted on 11/07/2003 12:22:45 PM PST by geros
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: yonif
Yoni, I think you know that I do not support Minister Elon's party, his views, or his unrealistic plan. Let's just say I respect your opinion and even understand where it's coming from.

Look at it this way: my great uncle, who also was in the national camp, once called me an Arafatnik for daring to suggest that Arabs are humans and therefore have human rights. I still loved the man and respected him for all he had done, but I still believe anyone who is human has human rights. We do not have the right to expel millions of Arabs from their homes.

I expect the newbie who likes to insult me will call me an extreme leftist for voicing my views. He's about due. My friends on the left think I've turned into a right-wing lunatic. You can't please everybody :)

32 posted on 11/07/2003 2:03:52 PM PST by anotherview ("Ignorance is the choice not to know" -Klaus Schulze)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: geros
Precisely. To say anything nice about Israelis can be a death sentence for a Palestinian.
33 posted on 11/07/2003 2:04:32 PM PST by anotherview ("Ignorance is the choice not to know" -Klaus Schulze)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: yonif
...if free and democratic elections were held today.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!


34 posted on 11/07/2003 4:21:08 PM PST by rickmichaels
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: anotherview
I understand your opinion.

The way I see it, terrorists will be brought to justice, and their supporters will be expelled to Arab countries, along with Israel paying the Arab countries to settle them (and those other Arabs who want to leave). Those Arabs who want to stay in Judea, Samaria and Gaza can do so, however, they will not receive Israeli political rights.
35 posted on 11/07/2003 10:02:39 PM PST by yonif ("If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem, Let My Right Hand Wither" - Psalms 137:5)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: yonif
But most around the world, including this US administration, say that these terrorists are "fringe" groups of their society, and groups that the "peaceful" Palestinian Arabs do not support....

Which of course is exactly what the US administration is saying about islam! Even if this were true, 12.5% (Pipes' estimate) of 1.3 billion is 162,500,500, or about 60% of the US population, a huge problem. Not surprisingly the same argument is used by defenders of islam and terrorism "Well, the few bad apples are oppressing the overwhelming majority who are in opposition to their leaders."

It would be interesting to give the same poll to the Israeli right and Isralei left and compare the two figures.

36 posted on 11/08/2003 11:01:38 AM PST by tubavil
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-36 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson