Palestinians pessimistic on annexation, say will harm two-state solution
Around a third of Palestinians support a two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSThe Palestinians participate in a march rejecting the policy of the Israeli annexation project in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley and the deal of the century, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on June 11, 2020.(photo credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)
More than twice as many Palestinians think that annexation would not leave any chance for a two-state solution as think that a two-state solution would still be achievable should annexation go ahead, a new poll has found.A poll by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center (JMCC) in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, of 1,200 Palestinian adults living throughout the West Bank and Gaza found that 45.3% of Palestinians believe that if Israel follows through with plans to annex parts of the West Bank, there would be "no chance at all" for the two-state solution.By comparison, just 5.8% said there was a "big" chance that a two-state solution could still be achieved, and a further 16.8% predicted a "moderate" chance, while 20.4% said that annexation would still leave a "small chance" for a two-state solution to be accomplished. Overall, those in the West Bank were more optimistic about a two-state solution than those in Gaza.This view is largely shared by the United Nations and the European Union, both of which have expressed opposition to annexation in recent days. “The prospect of a viable two-state solution is the only way forward to ensure peace,” Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, the EU representative to the West Bank and Gaza, told Reuters on Tuesday.Susan Rice, former US ambassador to the UN and national security adviser under former president Barack Obama, also voiced opposition to the plan on Tuesday, saying: "So when it comes to annexation, I think the obvious argument against it is that it all but makes that objective of a two-state outcome impossible."Following announcement of Israel's intention to carry out annexation, the Palestinian Authority retaliated by announcing that it had withdrawn from all signed agreements with Israel. When asked whether they though the PA would hold to this position, or would back down, 53.9% of Palestinians said they expected the PA to renege on the policy. Half that figure – 26.6% – said they expected the PA to follow through, while the remainder weren't sure. Those in the West Bank were marginally more optimistic that the PA would hold to its position than those living in Gaza.The pollsters also asked respondents what the best solution to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict would be, asking respondents to choose between: a two-state solution, a bi-national state in the whole of Palestine, another solution, or no solution. Given these options, 19.1% nonetheless volunteered the response "a Palestinian state"; that figure rose to 23.9% in Gaza.However, 30.6% opted for the two-state solution – a figure that was much higher in the West Bank (38.7%) than Gaza (18.6%), and 22% for the bi-national state, while 18% thought there was no solution.A separate poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip between June 17-20, 2020 found that 66% of Palestinians believe that Israel will go ahead with its plans to annex parts of the West Bank, while 28% did not.When asked how the PA should respond to annexation, 71% said it should stop implementing the Oslo Accords and should sever all ties with Israel, while 21% disagreed. 61% supported Palestinians peacefully resisting the plan, against 35% who did not, and 52% supported a return to armed struggle, against 42% who opposed it.Additionally, 37% wanted to abandon the two-state solution in favor of a one-state solution.According to the pollsters: "When forced to choose only one of these five possible responses, the largest percentage (31%) says that it prefers a return to armed struggle, 23% prefer resumption of negotiations based on a detailed Palestinian counterproposal, 18% prefer non-violent resistance, 15% prefer abandoning the Oslo agreement and the severing of relations with Israel, and 6% prefer to abandon the two-state solution in favor of a one-state solution."In addition to questions on annexation and potential peace plans, the JMCC / Friedrich Ebert Stiftung asked a range of social questions.It found that 67.7% of Palestinians were feeling optimistic or very optimistic about the future, against 31.7% who felt pessimistic or very pessimistic.They also found strong support for social security provided by the government – 75% of Palestinians thought it was very important, and another 19.6% thought it somewhat important. Just 5.4% did not think it important.Support for a youth quota and a women's quota in legislative elections were high – 93.3% wanted to see a youth quota, with support high in both the West Bank and Gaza, while 85.5% wanted a women's quota; again, support was equally strong across the two areas.And the poll also found strong religiosity among the Palestinian population: 96.2% of Palestinians said they had fasted for most or all of the days of Ramadan, and 93.5% said they prayed every day during the holy month.However, the population was evenly split over the question of co-educational schools: 49.2% of Palestinians disagreed with boys and girls being educated together, a figure which was marginally higher in Gaza (50.7%), while 36.5% agreed with it only in elementary schools. 14.3% thought boys and girls should be educated together at secondary level also.
