Hamas leader trustworthy, says Palestinian survey

The founder and spiritual leader of the violent militant group Hamas today emerged as the second most trusted figure by Palestinians, a survey revealed.

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin polled 11.5% behind Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s 25% in the JMCC survey.

Marwan Barghouti, a jailed West Bank leader allied to Arafat, was the most trusted figure for 5% of Palestinians.

The results revealed high Palestinian disillusionment with their political options – 83% viewed the Palestinian Authority as corrupt.

And the anger against Israel remained unabated, with most Palestinians believing suicide bombings against Israelis are justified and only 17% saying the violent uprising should end, the poll showed.