Palestinian support for Hamas drops

Palestinian support for Hamas has dropped since it swept parliamentary elections in January, but a wide majority backs the militant group’s refusal to recognise Israel, according to a poll published today.

The poll came as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tried to get Hamas to soften its anti-Israeli views and join a coalition government with his Fatah Party, which seeks a final peace deal with Israel.

Backing for Hamas stands at 38%, according to the poll from the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research. While this is only 1% less than a poll three months ago, it is down from a high of 47% in March, just after the Hamas government took power.

Most of those questioned, 54%, expressed dissatisfaction with the overall performance of the Hamas government, with 69% saying they were displeased by the dire economic situation.

Fatah’s popularity has increased over the past three months from 39% to 41%, the poll found.

It also had a 39% favourable rating in March.

A majority of Palestinians, 66%, think Hamas should not recognise Israel, whereas 30% think it should.