New Poll of Palestinian opinion

85% say they want mutual ceasefire, but 75% support bombing Maxim restaurant in Haifa

A new poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah is covered at length in today's Jerusalem Post. Here are some of the highlights:

75% of Palestinians support the suicide bombing of the Maxim restaurant in Haifa in which 23 people were killed.

85% of Palestinians want a mutual ceasefire, but only 59% would support the PA taking measures by to prevent attacks on Israelis.

Arafat's popularity is at the highest in five years, yet 82% believe the Palestinian Authority is corrupt.

Attitudes towards the US administration and its Middle East policy are very negative:

97% believe the current US policy toward the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is biased in favor of Israel.

96% believe that the US is not sincere when it says it works toward the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

39% believe that armed confrontations and terror will not stop and negotiations will not resume soon.

78% believe the US roadmap for peace is dead.

The center, headed by Khlail Shkaki, conducted the poll between October 7th-14th October 2003 in the Palestinian areas. There is a 3% margin of error.