Palestinian Public Opinion Polls No. 30

Abstract

Since the domination of Hamas movement over the Gaza Strip, it has ‎become obvious that the ‎Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) has ‎become completely impaired. Such reality prompted ‎President Abu ‎Mazen to issue a group of presidential decrees in the form of laws the ‎most ‎important of which was amending the elections law to make the ‎whole country one electoral circle. ‎This amendment was rejected by ‎Hamas considering the President's decree unconstitutional. ‎ In Gaza, the PLO factions called upon all citizens to hold the Friday ‎prayer in the open, instead of ‎holding it in mosques since, they believe, ‎Hamas uses mosques for incitement. Hamas denied such ‎allegations and ‎issued a religious decree (fatwa) denying the sanctity and holiness of ‎prayers ‎outside mosques (in the open). The Executive Force encountered ‎the worshippers, beat them and ‎arrested several. Even media personnel ‎were not spared harassments. Such harassments were ‎condemned by ‎several Palestinian factions and civil society institutions considering ‎them attacks on ‎public liberties and an attempt to confound people.‎ On the side of negotiations, meetings between President Abbas and the ‎Israeli Prime Minister ‎continued aiming at laying out a detailed frame ‎work for a Palestinian Israeli solution that will be ‎discussed in the ‎international meeting intended to take place in the coming fall. ‎