You know the conventional wisdom that keeps saying that most Palestinians don’t agree with Hamas, and that they want peace with Israel?
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The majority of people in the Palestinian Territories are against the militant group Hamas recognizing the legitimacy of Israel as a state, according to a poll by Arab World for Research & Development. 63 per cent of respondents living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip share this opinion.
Do you support or oppose Hamas’ recognition of the state of Israel?
Support 17.3% To some extent 14.1% Oppose 63.0% Don’t know / No opinion 5.6% Source: Arab World for Research & Development
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,200 Palestinian adults in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, conducted from May 3 to May 5, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
Right. So to recap: Two out of every three Palestinians think that Hamas should not recognize Israel. I guess that means they’re not nearly as willing to establish “two states, living side-by-side” as some would have us believe.
The problem, once again, is not Israeli settlements. It is the refusal of the Arabs to accept the reality: Israel isn’t going anywhere.