Both Palestinian Prime Minister of Hamas, Ismail Haniya and President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, enjoy equal popular support among the Palestinian masses in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, a recent public opinion poll showed.
The Palestinian center for political and survey researches in Palestine, which conducted the survey, found that Abbas of Fatah and Haniya of Hamas will likely get equal votes, once an election is held.
According to the poll, Abbas gained %46, while Haniya got %47 of the respondents’ voices, and that Abbas’s popular support has risen to %56, compared with %37 for Haniya of Hamas.
The poll was conducted between 13 and 15 of March, during which the Gaza Strip has been observing a state of calm, following an Israeli army deadly attack on the coastal region earlier in the month.
1270 adults of 127 population centers took part in the poll, with a margin of mistake, estimated at %3.
Among the findings, both Fatah and Hamas have almost enjoyed an equal popular support by residents of West Bank and Gaza, with %35 for Hamas and %42 for Fatah, the largest rival Palestinian parties.
The latest findings come on the heels of renewed talk about dialogue between Hamas and Fatah, as President Abbas insists that Hamas renounces control over Gaza, while Hamas wants an unconditional talk with Fatah.
The democratically-elected Islamist Hamas party took over the coastal territory in June of last year amidst a power struggle with the secular Fatah party. President Mahmoud Abbas outlawed Hamas right away and called for early elections.
