Abbas’ plan also supports violence
New York – A new poll of Palestinian opinion has found that 61.3% of Palestinians support terrorist attacks upon Israelis within Israel’s pre-June 1967 borders, as against only 32.8% of Palestinians who oppose such acts. This represents a rise from 56% Palestinian support for terrorism against Israelis inside Israel’s pre-June 1967 borders registered in a Palestinian Center for Policy & Survey Research (PCPSR) poll published in June. The new poll also found that 52.5% of Palestinians also support rocket attacks upon Israeli population centers. The poll was carried out by the Center for Opinion Polls and Survey Studies at An-Najah University (Independent Media Review & Analysis, September 11).
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “The latest Palestinian poll is unfortunately consistent with many similar recent polls, several of which the ZOA has highlighted on previous occasions. The most significant fact confirmed by this poll is the consistent Palestinian majority support for terrorism perpetrated against Israeli civilians, whether one is talking of suicide bombings that kill and maim scores of people, or rocket attacks which kill and injure less frequently. In fact, support for unspecified acts of terrorism is higher than for the more infrequently lethal rocket attacks.
“These sorts of numbers will not change for the better while Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority sponsors incitement to hatred and murder of Israelis in the Palestinian media, mosques, schools and youth camps. If Israelis are dehumanized as racist demons, Palestinians will not move towards acceptance of Israel. These findings, coupled with consistent and even higher levels of Palestinian public support for the so-called ‘right of return’ which would see Israel destroyed by inundation of hostile Palestinian refugees and their descendants, demonstrates all too clearly that Palestinian society is not reconciled to the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state.
“The figures in this poll are also not surprising when one bears in mind that Mahmoud Abbas has championed the so-called ‘Prisoners’ Document,’ a plan drawn up by jailed Palestinian terrorists that calls 14 times for violence against Israel, eight times for the implementation of the ‘right of return’ and four times for the release of jailed terrorists. Moreover, other polls have shown that, even if the Palestinians achieved their own state, a majority of them would oppose acceptance of Israel. As a consequence, there is no Palestinian peace partner and no prospect of one until there is fundamental change within Palestinian society.”