By Xinhua,
Ramallah : A public opinion poll has revealed a jump in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ popularity and a majority of people opposes his resignation.
According to the poll, conducted by Near East Consulting Company, 73 percent of the people trust Abbas while 27 percent trust deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya.
The poll was conducted between May 24-27 and involved 830 persons who were randomly selected.
Fifty-nine percent recognize Prime Minister Salam Fayyad government as the legitimate one while 24 percent sees Haneya’s government as the true one.
Abbas fired Haneya’s government last June when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip by forces. He also formed a western-backed government headed by Fayyad while Hamas neglected Abbas’ decisions.
Thirty-six percent of them believe that next president will be Marwan al-Barghouthi, a senior Fatah leader jailed by Israel.
Meanwhile, 65 percent of the surveyed believes that the status of Islamic Hamas movement worsened since it ran in January 2006 elections though the movement won the elections.
As for Hamas’ efforts to broker a ceasefire with Israel via Egyptian mediators, 85 percent agreed with the idea of the ceasefire while 74 percent supported a peace treaty with Israel.