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Palestinian Poll Shows Abbas Would Lose to Hamas in Election

3,696 views · Published 19 December 2018 · 2:35 · Indexed 23 September 2026

Channel: i24NEWS English · 2018 · News & Politics

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PERSPECTIVES | A new Palestinian poll shows that Abbas' popularity in the Palestinian community is waning and his Hamas rival could defeat him in a race. It's another piece of bad news for the Palestinian president who's fighting pressure from the U.S., Israel and his own subjects. Our Mohammad Al-Kassim has the story.

Story:

There is more bad news for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

A poll conducted by  the Palestinian Center for Survey and Policy Studies shows Abbas would lose to his rival — Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh — in any race for the Palestinian presidency, if they were the only two candidates. 

Abbas would receive 42 percent of the vote, while Haniya would get 49 percent. Three months ago, the poll numbers were different with 47 percent for Abbas and 45 percent for Haniyeh.
 
Abbas is under tremendous pressure from all sides following a series of deadly attacks in the West Bank against Israelis. 

Khalil Shikaki of the Palestinian Center for Survey and Policy Studies says Hamas has a slight advantage.  

'Hamas can probably win in Gaza, but it's highly unlikely Hamas would receive a significant number of votes in the West Bank,' Shikaki said.

Despite a security coordination with Israel, attacks in the West Bank have increased in the last few months. Both Israel and the Palestinian authority accuse Hamas of being behind the increase in attacks.

The survey also found more troubling news for Abbas.

Sixty-four percent of the public wants him to resign while 32 percent wants him to remain in office. Three months ago, 62 percent said they would like to see Abbas resign.

Shakaki says Palestinians don’t trust Abbas.

'The president is losing credibility. There is no doubt that Fatah, Abbas and the entire PA are in trouble in the West Bank,' Shikaki claimed.

President for 14 years, the 83-year-old Palestinian leader has been isolated and marginalized ever since US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Communication between Ramallah and Washington has all but stopped, as each side is vocal about not trusting the other.  

The survey also found Support for Hamas is gaining strength in the West Bank and Gaza. Just last week Hamas, which rules the Palestinian coastal enclave Gaza, celebrated its 31st anniversary in a rally attended by hundreds of thousands of people. 

But despite the growing support for Hamas, about two-thirds of the participants said that they support calm along the Gaza border.

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