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The Surprising Opinions of Palestinians

(New York Daily News) David Pollock - A new poll of 1,540 Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem reveals that much of the Palestinian public actually agree with several key points Trump raised in the Middle East. Two-thirds of Palestinians think "the PA should give prisoners' families normal social benefits like everybody else, not extra payments based on their sentences or armed operations." A majority on the West Bank (56 percent) say the issue of moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem is "not so important" or even "not important at all." To the idea of a "regional approach" to Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, in which "Arab states would offer both sides incentives to take more moderate positions," in the West Bank, 58 percent approve, in Gaza 55 percent. "What is the one thing you'd most like the U.S. to do about the Palestinian issues these days?" A plurality (34 percent) of West Bankers pick "put pressure on the PA and Hamas to be more democratic and less corrupt" - more than those who prefer "pressure on Israel to make concessions" or "increased economic aid to the Palestinians." Among West Bankers, 49 percent pick "having a good family life" as their top priority, followed by "making enough income to live comfortably" with 30 percent; just 12 percent pick "working to establish a Palestinian state." The poll was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, May 16-27.
2017-06-08 00:00:00
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