Palestinian Public Opinion Polls No. 37
Date
2009-07
Authors
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Publisher
An-Najah National University/ Opinion Polls and Survey Studies Unit
Abstract
By the end of the truce period that was announced between Israel and Hamas through Egyptian mediation, Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip that targeted animate and inanimate objects bequeathing huge destruction the results of which will continue for years to come.
No sooner had the aggression against Gaza ceased, than the talk about rebuilding Gaza began; the rebuilding of Gaza became another point of controversy added to the letters of Palestinian internal split. The Palestinian split did not end with the destruction of Gaza despite talks about a Palestinian-Palestinian debate; split is susceptible to be intensified as the declarations made by some Palestinian officials indicate. The Palestinian question, thus, is totally driven into the maze of Arab and regional differences and the Palestinian decision making process is no longer purely and genuinely Palestinian.
On the other side of the Gaza issue, several Arab and foreign countries are paying tremendous efforts to restore truce to the Gaza Strip based on new conditions. Hamas insists on opening Rafah crossing first to be followed be opening the other crossings. Israel rejects Hamas’ demands with reference to the crossings. Israel insists on freeing prisoner of war Gilad Shalit as a precondition to discuss the other issues though the Egyptian mediation.