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Welcome to Palestine Today a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org for Thursday, July 08, 2010.
Opinion poll reveals interesting sentiments of Palestinians and UN flotilla probe set to be begin these stories and more coming up, stay tuned.
A survey conducted by the organization Arab World for Research and Development sampled 1200 Palestinians located in Gaza and the West Bank.
Some of the largest differences in opinion were over the possible continuation of rocket attacks by Hamas and beliefs on the state of Palestinian society. 68% of those questioned did not want to see Hamas continue the rocket barrages and 67% believe that Palestinian society is heading in the wrong direction.
The survey also looked at how important political figures in the occupied territories would fare if elections were held today. 30% said they would vote for current President Abbas while Marwan Barghouti would collect about 14% of votes. Ismail Hanniyeh would net 10% and current Prime Minister Salam Fayyad garnered the lowest at 8%.
If Abbas retired, as he says he will, Mr. Barghouti climbs to the top with 26% of the vote and Prime Minister Fayyad leapfrogs over Mr. Hanniyeh to 21% of the vote. Ismail Hanniyeh gains only slighty, creeping to 12%.
Opinion on whether direct talks should be resumed is split almost evenly.
In New York, the UN probe into the attacks on the Mavi Marmara at the end of May is set to begin in the very near future.
Phillipe Kirsch, who has extensive experience in international investigations, will head the committee investigating the deaths of nine Turkish citizens who were on the Mavi Marmara which was headed to the besieged Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid.
The U.S., France, and Britain opposed the formation of the UN probe because they felt the internal Israeli investigation was sufficient. The U.S. also felt that this comes at an inopportune time as they seek to start peace negotiations very soon and don’t want push Israel into a corner.
Out of Hebron there is word that five have been injured in two separate attacks by Israelis.
Four civilians were attacked in the al-Baq’a area east of Hebron. Settlers with the protection of the Israeli army attacked the residents, which included one child, and uprooted four olive trees. They were helpless to defend themselves in the face of the armed soldiers.
Another child was attacked by Israeli soldiers in al-Dabboya in central Hebron. He was taken to a nearby hospital to treat his concussion and bruises.
In Poland, a soldier who refused to finish his service in the Israeli military, and who is now a peace activist, spray-painted ‘Liberate all ghettoes’ and ‘Free Gaza’ on what remains of the old Warsaw ghetto’s walls where Jews were once segregated to by the Nazis.
The activist Yonatan Shapira said he hopes that young people will go to the ghetto, look at the history, and also, ‘remember that oppression is oppression, occupation is occupation and crimes against humanity are crimes against humanity, whether they have been committed here in Warsaw or in Gaza.’
Thank you for joining us from occupied Bethlehem, you have been listening to Palestine Today from the International Middle East Media Center, for constant update, please visit our website at www.imemc.org. This report has been brought to you by Brian Ennis.
