Redeployment Agreement, PNA Performance, Prisoners Release, Electoral System, and Other Topics, July 6-9, 1995
The Proposed Agreement on Redeployment, Elections, and Extending Palestinian Authority.The majority of the respondents said that they approve of the proposed agreements. Less than 30% showed their disapproval. The results show that support for the agreement was higher in the West Bank than in the Gaza Strip. Support was higher in the North of the West Bank than the Middle and the South. For Example, 41% of the respondents from the Hebron area opposed the proposed agreement. In the South of the Gaza, opposition to the proposed agreement reached to 48%. The results show that refugee camp residents are less supportive of the proposed agreement than city and village residents. Support for the agreement decreases with education as 60% of the least educated support the agreement and only 23% of the most educated support it (see Table 4) .
Table 4
Support for Redeployment Agreement by Education
Yes% No% Don't Know%
Up to 9-Years 59.6 22.5 17.9
Tawjihi 52.7 31.6 15.7
College 55.6 33.9 10.5
Bachelor 49.6 42.7 07.7
Table 5Support for Redepoyment Agreement by Political Affiliation
Yes% No% Don't Know%
Hamas 38.7 47.9 13.4
PFLP 25.5 61.7 12.8
Fateh 75.4 13.7 10.9
Jihad 32.4 52.9 14.7
Is. Ind. 33.3 51.9 14.8
Na. Ind. 54.9 31.4 13.7
Others 58.6 25.3 16.1
No one 34.5 38.4 27.1
Extending Palestinian authority to the West Bank in view of redeploymentThe majority of Palestinians viewed the extension of Palestinian authority in the West Bank with either indifference or reservation. In contrast, less than a majority said that they were looking forward to PNA authority in view of the proposed redeployment plan. The percentage of those looking forward to extending PNA authority is slightly higher among West Bank respondents than those from Gaza. Jerusalem and Ramallah residents expressed most reservations concerning the issue. In Bethlehem and South Gaza the percentage of those looking forward to extending PA to West bank didn't exceed 30%. The results show that refugee camp residents are less enthused to extending PA to West Bank than village and city residents. Reservations are also high among men as 55% of them expressed a cautious attitude. University graduates, employees, and specialists expressed high degrees of reservations (see Table 6).
Table 6
Considering Redeployment, View of Extending PNA by Education
Forward% Neutral% Reservations% Don't Know%
Up to 9-Years 51.6 29.4 12.4 06.6
Tawjihi 43.4 31.1 20.7 04.8
College 31.5 35.5 29.8 03.2
Bachelor 27.4 28.2 39.3 05.1
Table 7Considering Redeployment, View of Extending PNA by Political Affiliation
Forward% Neutral% Reservations% Don't Know%
Hamas 28.7 35.7 29.4 06.3
PFLP 14.9 40.4 42.6 02.1
Fateh 60.3 25.2 12.8 01.7
Jihad 20.6 41.2 17.6 20.6
Is. Ind. 14.8 22.2 51.9 11.1
Na. Ind. 28.8 42.3 26.9 01.9
Others 55.7 19.3 17.0 08.0
No one 30.5 38.9 20.7 09.9
Palestinian state is near?A total of 43.5% said that redeployment means the beginning of a Palestinian state while 38.9% disagreed with them. There was no difference between the West Bank and Gaza respondents concerning this question. Division regarding this issue is most pervasive if we look at educational attainment of the respondents. A total of 28% of the least educated said that redeployment doesn't mean the beginning of a Palestinian state, compared with 60% of the most educated. In addition, more than 53% of students, employees, and specialists said that redepolyment doesn't mean the beginning of a Palestinian state. The largest percentage of respondents in Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem, and South Gaza shared this view (see Table 8).
Table 8
Does Redeployment Mean a Possible State by Education
Yes % No% Don't Know%
Up to 9-Years 49.1 28.4 22.4
Tawjihi 44.6 42.5 12.9
College 29.0 52.4 18.5
Bachelors 29.1 59.0 12.0
The Performance of Palestinian Leadership in the NegotiationsLess than one-third of the respondents described the performance of the Palestinian negotiators as "good". Another one-third said it was mutawasit*(fair) while a quarter of the respondents described their performance as "weak". More Gazans said that the Palestinian performance during the negotiations was "mutawasit" or "good" than did West Bank respondents. A total of 47% of the most educated said that the performance was "weak", compared with 18% of the least educated. The largest percentage among refugee camp residents, men, employees, merchants, and specialists evaluated this performance as "weak" (see Table 9).
*mutawasit in Arabic literally means "middle". Those interested in comparing these results with previous results should be advised that it has sometimes been translated as "average" though CPRS believes that "fair" is a better translation, as long as it is not mistakenly understood as "just".
Table 9
Palestinian Leadership Performance in Negotiations by Education
Good% Average% Weak% Don't Know%
Up to 9-Years 36.6 30.6 18.2 14.7
Tawjihi 30.3 36.6 24.0 09.0
College 24.2 31.5 39.5 04.8
Bachelor 17.9 24.8 47.0 10.3
PNA Performance Concerning Palestinian PrisonersPalestinians were split over this issue with 37.6% describing the performance of the PNA concerning the release of Palestinian prisoners as "weak" and 36.2% describing it as "good". Negative evaluation was more widespread in Gaza than in the West Bank. A total of 46% of refugee camp residents said that the performance of the PNA in this regard was "weak"; only 24% of them said it was "good." Men were more critical of the performance of PNA than women, as 44% of the men said that the performance of the PNA was "weak" and 33% of the women said so. Critical evaluation of the PNA performance concerning release of prisoners reached 50% among students, university graduates, and it reached 59% among specialists (see Table 10).
Table 10
PNA Performance with Regard to Prisoners by Education
Good% Average% Weak% Don't Know%
Up to 9-Years 43.9 17.4 29.2 09.5
Tawjihi 31.7 22.8 41.6 03.9
College 26.6 22.6 48.4 02.4
Bachelor 25.6 15.4 50.4 08.5
Table 11PNA Performance with Regard to Prisoners by Political Affiliation
Good% Average% Weak% Don't Know%
Hamas 37.8 14.7 42.7 04.9
PFLP 19.1 08.5 68.1 04.3
Fateh 46.0 20.8 28.4 04.8
Jihad 26.5 08.8 58.8 05.9
Is. Ind. 18.5 22.2 55.6 03.7
Na. Ind. 30.8 26.9 38.5 03.8
Others 30.7 14.8 36.4 18.2
No One 24.6 22.2 44.3 08.9
Palestinian views of IsraelThe results of this poll show that Palestinians do not trust Israel. While lack of trust of Israel is widespread in Palestine, it is higher in the West Bank than in the Gaza Strip.
Qualifications% Wasta% Others%
Up to 9-Years 27.1 54.6 18.3
Tawjihi 15.7 71.7 12.7
College 11.7 75.8 12.5
Bachelor 09.7 74.3 15.9
Table 13Appointment to PNA Institutions by Political Affiliation
Qualifications% Wasta% Others%
Hamas 10.7 77.9 11.4
PFLP 08.5 78.7 12.8
Fateh 27.9 58.2 13.9
Jihad 11.8 82.4 05.9
Is. Ind. 11.5 65.4 23.1
Na. Ind. 13.5 73.1 13.5
Others 14.9 55.2 29.9
No one 14.6 64.6 20.7
Choice of electoral systemThe majority of Palestinians polled chose an electoral system based on proportional representation, and less than one-third chose a majority system. While support for proportional representation is equal among respondents from the West Bank and Gaza, there is less support for a majority system in Gaza than in the West Bank. Support for proportional representation was highest among university graduates as it reached 69%. Students and employees were also supportive of a proportional system (see Table 14).
Table 14
Electoral System by Education
Majority% Proportional% Don't Know%
Up to 9-Years 34.5 42.2 23.3
Tawjihi 31.1 53.6 15.3
College 19.4 68.5 12.1
Bachelor 30.8 63.2 06.0
Table 15Electoral System by Political Affiliation
Majority% Proportional% Don't Know%
Hamas 28.7 55.2 16.1
PFLP 27.7 61.7 10.6
Fateh 39.1 46.6 14.3
Jihad 35.3 44.1 20.6
Is. Ind. 33.3 51.9 14.8
Na. Ind. 19.2 75.0 05.8
Others 26.1 56.8 17.0
No one 23.3 46.5 30.2
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