Mecca Agreement

National Unity Government

Political Support

Future Expectations and Priorities

27 February 2007

[ Highlights][ Analysis of Results ][ Detailed Results ][ PDF Format ]

[ Sample Distribution ][ In Arabic ]

Highlights:

The Mecca Agreement re-kindles hope, with increasing optimism and positive evaluation of leaders.

• Of the respondents, 47 percent state that they are optimistic about the future; 54 percent of Gazans feel optimistic.

• About  40 percent of the respondents view that Palestinian society is heading in the right direction, while 55 percent view that it is going in the wrong direction.

• Of the respondents, 59 percent of the respondents say that they feel insecure.

• As much as 44 percent believe that the Mecca Agreement will lead to an end in the factional in-fighting, while 45 percent believe that it will only lead to a temporary halt in hostilities.

• The results show that 68 percent of the respondents have no information on the substance of the Mecca Agreement, 9 percent of them have never heard of the agreement.

• Of the respondents, 56 percent are optimistic about the potential for forming a unity government.

• Around 27 percent believe that a unity government will proceed with peace negotiations, 34 percent believe it will be able to end the international boycott, and 43 percent believe that it will be able to bring about order and rule of law.

• When asked individually about issue concerns, 98 percent of the respondents said they view ending the security chaos, improving living conditions and promoting international relations as top priorities.

• Thirty-nine percent of the respondents believe that combining armed struggle with negotiations is the best means to end the occupation; 22 percent believe that the best means is to combine civil peaceful resistance with negotiations, and 21 percent said that only negotiations is the best means. Fifeteen percent of the respondents said that the best means is armed resistance.

• Of the respondents, 40 percent give President Mahmoud Abbas positive approval ratings (good), while 46 percent give Prime Minister Ismael Hanneyya positive marks (good).

• Seventy-one percent of respondents feel that Fateh and Hamas push all other factions outside of the political arena.

• Of the respondents, 22 percent are members of a political party or faction.

• If elections take place today, Fateh would win 45 percent of the overall votes, Hamas 33 percent, and independents and leftist parties, 13 percent.