Palestinian Public Opinion Polls No. 19

Abstract

After the remarkable winning of The Reform and Change block of more ‎that half of the seats of the ‎Legislative Council, President Mahmoud ‎Abbas asked Hamas to form the new Palestinian ‎government. Earlier, ‎Israel and the United States avowed that they will not support a ‎government ‎formed by Hamas; Israel even declared that it will deal with ‎the new government as an enemy.‎ The new prime minister made a first step on the path of forming a new ‎government by engaging in ‎negotiations with the parliamentary ‎coalitions in an attempt to make them join the new ‎government. The ‎general attitude, however, of the second largest parliamentary coalition ‎‎(Fateh) ‎tends to refrain from participating in a government led by ‎Hamas.‎ The international position concerning the winning of Hamas is reflected ‎negatively on the ‎international aid given to the Palestinian Authority. ‎Such reality threatens of a difficult financial ‎crisis, the signs of which ‎became apparent through the delay in paying the salaries of the ‎‎employees of the public sector.‎