Haniyeh, losing support
Photo: AP
Hamas riots (archives)
Photo: AP
Hamas losing popularity, poll shows
Opinion poll by West Bank university shows 78% of Palestinians don't approves of Hamas' Executive Force, 50% of respondents wouls support Fatah if elections were held today
The popularity of Hamas has fallen far behind rival Fatah, according to an opinion poll released Monday, and Palestinians were overwhelmingly opposed to the Islamic group's heavy-handed tactics in the Gaza Strip.
The poll, conducted by A-Najah University in the West Bank city of Nablus, was the latest sign of public discontent with Hamas following its violent takeover of Gaza in June, when its gunmen defeated pro-Fatah security forces.
Poll
Associated Press
First survey taken since Hamas' Gaza takeover shows party losing support with 47% of Palestinians saying Fayyad gov't performing better than Hamas. Nonetheless Gazans say personal security has improved since takeover
In the poll, 78 percent of respondents said they didn't approve of the practices of the Executive Force, the paramilitary Hamas force policing Gaza.
Although Hamas leaders have said the Executive Force have returned law and order to chaotic Gaza, 65 percent of respondents said security was deteriorating in the strip.
Just 21 percent said they believed Hamas is capable of governing the Gaza Strip.
Pollster Hussein Ahmed said the figures showed a large segment of Palestinians who used to support Hamas have lost faith in the group. "In reality, Hamas' actions were not very different from Fatah, despite promising a different mandate," Ahmed said.
In the June fighting, Hamas routed forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah. Abbas responded by expelling Hamas from the Palestinian government and forming a new Cabinet in the West Bank. Abbas has also promised to hold new elections, though he has not yet set a date.
Presidential elections currently are scheduled for 2009, and a parliamentary vote is scheduled in 2010.
According to Monday's poll, 50 percent of respondents said they would support Fatah if elections were held today, compared with 14 percent support for Hamas. Similar numbers said they would support a Fatah presidential candidate over a Hamas candidate.
The survey questioned 1,630 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and quoted a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
