Majority expects Palestine to win UN bid

A poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion has found that a majority of Palestinians want to resume negotiations with Israel, oppose peaceful demonstrations in September and expect Palestine to become a UN member state. The poll, conducted by Dr. Nabil Kukali from Aug. 18 to 30, found that 59.3 percent of Palestinians believe its necessary to resume negotiations with Israel before going to the United Nations. Exactly 35 percent of interviewees support seeking unilateral recognition of a state without first concluding a peace accord with Israel. Nearly 50 percent of participants say they oppose holding peaceful demonstrations after the September statehood bid and 45.2 percent of respondents expect Palestine to become the newest UN member state, the poll found. When asked about international efforts to support the Palestinian UN bid, 83 percent of people negatively evaluated US actions, with 52.9 percent approving of Arab League efforts and 41.7 percent "appreciating" the role of the United Nations in recognizing Palestinian statehood. A majority of Palestinians, 52.7 percent, would oppose any decision to withdraw the UN bid while 49.2 percent think President Mahmoud Abbas should exert more effort to obtain recognition of a state in September. The poll covered a random sample of 1,000 Palestinian respondents representing various demographics interviewed in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.