RAMALLAH: A new poll on Sunday has found that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ popularity has declined after the Palestinian Authority (PA) backed deferring a vote on the Goldstone report on last winter’s Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The poll, published by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center (JMCC), shows confidence in Abbas dropped to 12.1 percent in this poll from 17.8 percent last June and 15.5 percent last October.
Those who expressed satisfaction with the way Abbas runs the Palestinian Authority decreased from 48.5 percent last October to 39.4 percent.
The level of confidence in the Prime Minister of the deposed Hamas government Ismail Haniyeh remained unchanged at 14.2 percent.
When asked who they would elect as president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) if elections take place in 2010, the poll revealed there would be serious competition with 16.8 percent saying they would vote again for Abbas, while a similar number said they would vote for rival Fatah politician Marwan Barghouthi. Sixteen percent said they would vote for Haniyeh.
A UN investigation team led by South African Judge Richard Goldstone issued the report late in August, which accused both Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes during the massive offensive that killed around 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
On Oct. 2, the Geneva-based council deferred voting for the report to its next regular session in March, which the PA initially supported, sparking outrage among the Palestinian people and Hamas, which accused Abbas of bowing to Israeli pressure.
On Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Council decided to adopt the Goldstone Report after the PA changed its stance. Twenty-five delegates voted in favor of the decision and six opposed it.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, rejected going ahead with the Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation with Abbas’ Fatah movement after the PA supported delaying the Oct. 2 vote.
The poll shows the Fatah leadership’s decision to distance itself from the PA with regard to the Goldstone Report helped the party in maintaining a popularity lead ahead of Hamas among the Palestinian public. The current poll shows that 34.6 percent still trust the Fatah Movement compared with 17.9 percent who said they trust Hamas.
This was followed by the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine (3.7 percent) and the Islamic Jihad Movement (2.3 percent).
When asked about the faction that they will vote for in case general elections take place in 2010, a ratio of 40 percent of the respondents said they would vote for the Fatah Movement compared with 18.7 percent who said they will vote for Hamas.
The JMCC said the poll included a random sample of 1,200 persons over the age of 18 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip between Oct. 7 and 11, with an error margin of three percent.
