Oy, another I/P diary… Yes, but- the reason for this is a recent survey of 1,540 Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion. I feel these studies are vitally important, because my basic contention is that achieving peace is all a matter of determining the compromise point that both sides are willing to get to, so it’s naturally helpful to know the prevailing opinions of each side, so as to develop a better sense of what could possibly be agreed to.
How about this: I won’t editorialize any further- I’ll just present the facts distilled from the article, and you’re free to draw your own conclusions…
65.9% of West Bankers, and 67.2% of Gazans, think "the PA should give prisoners' families normal social benefits like everybody else, not extra payments based on their sentences or armed operations."
56% of West Bankers say moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem is "not so important" or even "not important at all." 25% of Gazans label moving the U.S. embassy a "very important" issue.
The idea of a "regional approach" to Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, in which "Arab states would offer both sides incentives to take more moderate positions", is approved by 58% in the West Bank, and 55% in Gaza.
In answer to the question, "What is the one thing you'd most like the U.S. to do about the Palestinian issues these days?", 34% of West Bankers chose "put pressure on the PA and Hamas to be more democratic and less corrupt". This is higher than the percentage that chose "pressure on Israel to make concessions", and it’s also higher than the percentage that chose “increased economic aid to the Palestinians”. For Gazans, the highest percentage chose “increased economic aid to the Palestinians”, and the second highest percentage chose "pressure on Israel to make concessions”, and 20% chose “put pressure on the PA and Hamas to be more democratic and less corrupt”.
Asked what they would most like Israel to do, 43% of West Bankers want "Israeli companies to offer more job opportunities for Palestinians inside the West Bank", 27% say "allow more Palestinian freedom of movement", 24% say "free more Palestinian prisoners", 22% say "stop violence by the settlers", and 14% say "stop building in settlements beyond the wall."
Asked what their top priority is, 49% of West Bankers picked "having a good family life", 30% picked "making enough income to live comfortably", and 12% picked "working to establish a Palestinian state." In Gaza, 40% chose "having a good family life", and 25% chose "making enough income to live comfortably", and 25% picked "working to establish a Palestinian state."
55% of West Bankers and 80% of Gazans say Hamas should preserve a cease-fire with Israel. 75% of West Bankers and 62% Gazans answered in the affirmative to "Should Hamas stop calling for Israel's destruction, and instead accept a permanent two-state solution based on the 1967 borders?"
The percentage that agreed with the statement “Jews have some rights to this land", is in the single digits. 60% of West Bankers and 46% of Gazans agreed with "Regardless of what's right, the reality is that most Israeli settlers will probably stay where they are, and most Palestinian refugees will not return to the 1948 lands.”