Executive Summary

Commitment to peace. The results confirm the in-principle commitment of Palestinians to peace negotiations. Hesitance to support the current process is a reflection of the inability of the process to deliver rather than an ideological opposition to peace, negotiations and coexistence.

Two–state solution is preferred. A two-state solution based on international legality was identified as the most desirable and most realistic solution to a peace settlement.

Approval for Abbas and Fayyad has improved. The results of current poll continued an upward trend in approval of the performance of both Abbas and Fayyad and the downward spiral of Haniyeh’s popularity. The increase in popularity of Abbas and Fayyad are a likely reflection of the decision to from withdraw from negotiations in the face of continued settlement activities. Increasing popularity is probably also due to the technocratic performance of the Fayyad government in the fields of institution building, security, economy and service delivery in the West Bank.

Hamas’s approval continues to decline. The decline in the evaluation of the Haniyeh government and Hamas’s inability to meet the political expectations—particularly in ending the occupation and in fighting corruption—it was exempt from before the Gaza takeover. On both counts, evaluation of the Hamas performance is decaying.

Abbas and Fayyad have complimentary roles. The current poll confirms the viability of the Fayyad mandate as shaping the future of the Palestinian people. It seems the performance of both leaders is affected by the performance of the other; hence their popularity is derived from their complimentary roles. The majority of Fatah supporters approve of the performance of Fayyad, which provide the PM a shield to deflect the criticism of a small but vocal Fatah minority. At the same time, the improvement in living conditions, security and institution building achieved by the Fayyad government has increased the credibility of Abbas and has enabled him to take more effective (and popular) stands at the political level, especially in relation to the peace process.

Palestinians support immediate elections. The Palestinian public is insistent that the best means to go beyond the current stalemate must include immediate elections at all levels.

One third of voters are undecided. The size of the undecided demographic is a significant source of potential support for a coalition of Independents. Should the Independents join their political efforts, most likely drawing in non-partisan voters in the process, they would soundly defeat the Islamist bloc and become almost competitive with Fatah.

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