Survey: Majority of Palestinians want Fayyad as prime minister

[Jefferson23]

A Palestinian research center found the Hamas candidate is supported by only 22 percent, as opposed to 45 percent backing current prime minister.

A majority of Palestinians want current Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to run the proposed Palestinian national unity government, according to a public opinion poll published Monday.

The survey, conducted by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), said the public believes that if Fayyad remains as prime minister, the threat of international boycott and sanctions would diminish or disappear.

According to the poll, 45 percent of respondents want Fayyad to head the new government. Jamal Khoudari, the choice of the Islamist Hamas movement, received the backing of only 22 percent.

Fayyad, an internationally respected economist, was President Mahmoud Abbas' choice to lead the proposed unity government to be set up with Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and strongly opposes the appointment.

in full: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/survey-majority-of-palestinians-want-fayyad-as-prime-minister-1.368749

[oberliner]

1. It's a shame that Hamas appears to have made this impossible

In rejecting Fayyad outright they seem not particularly interested in what the majority of Palestinians want.

Incidentally, I think this is the third recent survey showing that Fayyad is the most popular choice among Palestinians for PM.