Poll: Most Palestinians say Qassams detrimental

[Scurrilous]

Survey released by An-Najah University in Nablus indicates 61 percent of Palestinians believe rocket attacks on Israel are harmful; 65.7 percent support limiting armed struggle to West Bank, and 68 percent say they will not leave to another country

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3330157,00.html

<snip>

"A new poll released Sunday by the An-Najah University in Nablus indicates that that 42.4 percent of the Palestinians are opposed to the Qassam rocket attacks on Israel , but 61.4 percent of the Palestinians are convinced that the Qassam attacks against Israel are detrimental to the Palestinian national cause.

The poll, where 1,360 Palestinians were asked about their positions, also indicates that 65.7 percent support limiting the armed conflict against Israel to the confines of the West Bank, whereas 29.5 percent of the Palestinians support expanding it to Israel as well.

As to the continued struggle against Israel, 35 percent of Palestinians think that the armed conflict still serves the Palestinian cause, whereas 27.4 percent of the Palestinians who think that negotiations with Israel should be restarted. In addition, 14.6 percent of Palestinians believe that a non-violent struggle is the best way to go.

And what about the future? According to the poll, 56 percent of Palestinians are pessimistic about the situation in the current state, as opposed to 41.8 percent who say they are optimistic."

[pelsar]

1. any explanations?

42.4 percent of the Palestinians are opposed to the Qassam rocket attacks on Israel , but 61.4 percent of the Palestinians are convinced that the Qassam attacks against Israel are detrimental to the Palestinian national cause.

so 20% believe the kassams are detrimental to the cause but are not opposed to them.....

at least 42% figured it out.....kassams are bad and have bad consequences for them as well

[Violet_Crumble]

2. Possible explanation...

The close to 20% polled who think that are aware that they're detrimental, but so angry that they don't care...

[bemildred]

3. Dont give a fuck, confused, and not much left to lose all come to mind.

I've been saying for as long as I've been here that the Israelis would do well to give the Palestinians more carrots and fewer sticks, and it's just amazing how bizarre some people seem to find that idea.

[breakaleg]

4. Knowing the backlash from the kassams, it seems they are truly an

act of a desperate people. Not stupid, but so desperate and lost they have nothing left to lose. Are they supposed to sit amongst the rubble and starve?

[bemildred]

5. "Diet" is the word used, I think. nt

[Poll_Blind]

6. They want that land. About 40% say they prefer...

..."The Greater Land of Israel" to the democratic character of the state. Excuse the poor link, University of Haifa's had some problems with its web pages hooking up to the DB backend for like 3 weeks now so I had to use a cache.

Israeli society is much more cohesive with the settlements. Orthodox Zionists want to bring back "Historic Lands of Israel" which cover a considerably larger area than what they were given by the League of Nations.

They want the land.

They have a greater military.

They know that very little can be done to stop them if they just take a little bit at a time.

They're going to kill Palestinians, make their lives a living hell in one of the world's oldest and largest ghettos until they leave or die out.

And they're going to keep doing it until some outside force prevents them from doing it. I used to think that Israeli society could turn on the elements behind this but there are a number of factors which will always give an edge to the Orthodox Zionists/Religious Zionists when it comes to calling the shots.

PB

[bemildred]

7. True, they want the land.

I don't agree that they are winning however. They are, at great expense, losing, as you would expect these sorts of rigid dumb-shits to do. Consider the recent wars in Iraq and Lebanon for example. The Israeli state is run by idiots and is losing cohesion. This really began, IMHO, with the rise of Sharon and his policies, but Olmert just beggars description. Instead of pursuing intelligent policy and supporting a strong Iraq to offset Iran, Iraq has been demolished, turned into a sort of terrorist training camp and Disneyland, and Iran is rising and becoming nuclear capable, and there is precious little anyone can do about it now. Much of that is the doing of Bush, but Israel supported and encouraged it because of Saddam's support for the Palestinians. Hizbullah and Hamas are both "becoming emboldened", not despite, but because of the idiot policies of the Israeli government. Syria no longer fears either the US or Israel. Other Arab powers are similarly feeling on the one hand less fearful of Israel and the US, and on the other more worried about the Shiia and Iran. This is only just beginning. You are right that I do not see the sort of internal reform that might reverse that process and stabilize the situation occurring. But you never know for sure. The US and the European powers still have a strong interest in protecting Israel, and Israel has weapons to defend itself, but if the gnawing away at the political and social fabric of Israel does not stop, there will come a day when it does not matter anymore; and the destruction of Palestinian society that has been accomplished in the process will offer scant compensation.

[msmcghee]

8. Fortunes ebb and grow , for people and . .

. . for nations. Yet, we always see in the immediacy of the moment, the certainty of the future. In 1999 most thought the stock market would continue to gain for many years - I heard predictions that 50,000 was a perfectly realistic level for the DJIA and that anyone not heavily invested in growth stocks was a fool.

Human affairs (like all of nature's affairs) are relaxation oscillators - they move through their range, gathering energy like a coiled spring. No-one really knows for sure what forces add or subtract from that tension or when the direction will inevitably reverse. All we know is that when it does - it will reverse again, someday. As I said to Mr. Magistrate last time he dropped by, predicting the future in the ME is not a very wise bet. But, it is entertaining.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[oblivious]

11. 41.8 per cent are optimistic. Damn! That is impressive.