Doha Debates Special Event: Hamas meets Fatah
Monday March 15 2010
MOTION REJECTED
by 11% to 89%
Opinion poll
Doha, Qatar, April 7 2010: A majority of Arabs say that violence - not peace talks - stands the best chance of resolving the conflict with Israel, according to an opinion poll commissioned by The Doha Debates.
Moreover, eighty percent said the Palestinians should use all means to resist the Israeli occupation- including violence.
The survey, conducted last month by YouGov in 18 of the 22 Arab states, also reflected widespread disappointment with the two warring Palestinian factions, whose bloody feud has claimed hundreds of lives in recent years.
Fifty-six percent said they preferred Hamas's tactic of violent resistance to the non-violent policy espoused by Fatah. But two thirds said they had no faith in either faction and 86 per cent called on the entire Palestinian leadership to step down.
The results supported the outcome at last month's special session of The Doha Debates, where 89 percent of the mainly Arab audience said they had no confidence in the Palestinians' political leaders.
Although Hamas won greater approval than Fatah for its record in government, a majority cited their conflict as the biggest obstacle to Palestinian unity.
However, just under half of those polled said they still believed that a united Palestinian state was within reach.
Polling dates: 22-30 March 2010
Download the polling data [PDF]
Watch online
