Most Palestinian Arabs also do not trust their leaders, a Palestinian-run poll reveals.
(INN) Palestinian Arab support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is waning, a poll run by a pro-Palestinian media research center reveals.
The Jerusalem Media Communications Center polled 1199 people in the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Gaza between August 19-23, 2015; the poll carries a +/-3% margin of error.
Of the total respondents, just 49.1% stated they support boycotting all Israeli products, down from 59.2% in March; just 34.1% of respondents said they actually do in practice.
By contrast, the percentage of Palestinian Arabs claiming they support boycotting "settlement" products in Jewish areas of Judea-Samaria rose by 1.8%, from 7.6% in March to 9.4% in August.
Most respondents distrust their political leaders and want elections - whether or not the current PA-Hamas "unity" government, which is by and large symbolic, remains.
Just 16.1% trust PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, down from 21.8% in March; support for Hamas politiburo leader Ismail Haniyeh dropped from 14.1% to 12.5% in the same period. 26.4% of Palestinian Arabs believe their government's efficacy has declined, up from 15.8% in April.
58.9% of Palestinian Arabs want elections, even in the event of continued discord between Hamas and the PA's ruling Fatah party; 35.8% want elections only in the event the two can be reconciled.
As for who would replace Abbas, 10.5% (9.1% from the PA and 12.9% from Gaza) said they would vote for archterrorist Marwan Barghouti - making him the most popular candidate. 7.1% stated they trust Barghouti, as well. Just second, at 9.8% (7.5% from the PA and 13.8% from Gaza), is Ismail Haniyeh. Likely replacement PA envoy Saeb Erekat and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal garnered a mere 3.3% each of the hypothetical vote. 33.6% of respondents remain undecided.
