Poll: Palestinians will still seek Israel's destruction, even after peace

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Sunday, August 29, 2010 Israel Today Staff SOURCE

Poll: Palestinians will still seek Israel's destruction, even after peace The most recent poll of Palestinian Arabs revealed that even if US President Barack Obama gets Israel and the Palestinians to sign a peace deal, the violent efforts to destroy the Jewish state will not end. Obama is set to host the renewal of direct peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Washington on Thursday. Based on the Obama Administration's view that PA leader Mahmoud Abbas and most of the Palestinians living under his rule are "moderates," a true and genuine peace is within reach. But the Arab World for Research & Development (AWRAD) based in the de facto Palestinian capital of Ramallah showed in its August 8-14 survey that Obama's view is way off base. AWRAD asked a random sampling of Palestinian Arabs to rank various aspects of the peace process from "essential" to "unacceptable." Nearly 73 percent of respondents said it is either essential, desirable or acceptable to use violence against Israeli Jews in order to obtain an independent Palestinian state. That view is a direct violation of the Israeli-Palestinian peace accords. Furthermore, an overwhelming 78.2 percent of respondents said that eventually establishing "Palestine" from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea (which includes all of Israel) is "essential." Another 12.5 percent said that goal is "desirable." Only 17.7 percent said a two-state solution is "essential." Regarding Jerusalem (presumably before the full takeover of Israel), 84.1 percent said it is essential and 10.3 percent said it is desirable for the entire city (including the Jewish-dominated western half) to be surrendered to the Palestinians. Seventy-five percent of respondents said it is "unacceptable" that a future Palestinian state will be demilitarized as Israel is demanding. Even if Israel meets all the Palestinian demands and conditions, a 42.3 percent plurality said Palestinians and Israelis will not coexist in peace. That makes sense, considering that most Palestinians will still be seeking the destruction of the Jewish state.