Poll Shows 49% of the World support statehood bid

A BBC poll Monday showed that 49% of the respondents supported the Palestinian bid to gain full United Nations membership of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, while 21% said their government should oppose it. The poll, conducted with Globe Scan and polled 2044 people , showed that the majority of the support was in four predominantly Muslim countries, with Chinese people also strongly endorsing the proposal, yet even in countries where opposition was strongest, more people supported the resolution than were against it. The BBC said that the participants’ support for the Palestinian bid was strongest in Egypt, where 90% were in favor and only 9% opposed; however, the lowest level of support was in India, with 32% in favor, 25% opposed and many undecided. In other Muslim countries, Turkey recorded 60% support and 19% opposition; Pakistan 52% for, 12% against and Indonesia 51% for, 16% against. The Chinese were among the most enthusiastic supporters, with 56% in favor and just 9% opposed. US and the Philippines both had 36% against the resolution, but 45% of Americans and 56% of Filipinos backed recognition, said the BBC. It added that public opinion in the three large European Union member states included in the poll was strikingly similar on the issue: France recorded 54% support with 20% opposition, Germany recorded 53% support versus 28% against, and the UK showed 53% in support and 26% against. Overall, 30% of the participants opted for not giving a definite answer as they thought their country should abstain, or ''it depends,'' or they did not offer a view; more than half of Russians and Chileans did not offer a definite opinion, showed the poll. A total of 20,466 people in 19 countries were interviewed, either face-to-face or by telephone between July 3 and August 29 this year.