Palestinian Territories 01. 2015 EDITORIAL Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center(JMCC) has conducted its latest public opinion poll in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This survey was conduc­ted around three weeks before the Israeli elections but more importantly for Palesti­nians six months after the Gaza war, from which Palestinian society is still reeling. A sense of frustration has set in, with fe­wer people viewing Hamas as the winning side in the war. After its surge in populari­ty following the war in Gaza last summer, Hamas’ rating has once again dropped, to 22.0%, whereas 37.7% would vote for Fa­tah. Overall, however, satisfaction for the Palestinian leadership has decreased and the economic outlook is pessimistic, with 62.9% of the population in the West Bank agreeing that the economic situation there has deteriorated. 64.1% blame Israel for the economic crisis which has affected the PA and which has prevented the payment of salaries to PA employees. However, despite the punitive reaction of Israel to the Palestinians’ effort to join the International Criminal Court, 69% want the Palestinian leadership to continue on this path. A large percentage of the population also supports efforts to boycott Israeli products, with only 6.5% of respondents saying they don’t support boycotting Israeli products. The overall pessimism extends to the ef­forts to end the occupation and resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The num ­ber of people supporting peaceful negot­iations over armed resistance is minimal (33.6% vs. 33.1%), with 27% preferring nonviolent resistance. However, while the appearance of‘ISIS’-associated flags at demonstrations in Gaza has worried many people, overall, only 3.3% of Palestinians have a positive view of‘ISIS’ and only 1.8% think it serves the Palestinian cause. What the poll appears to show is that Pa­lestinians are becoming more concerned with matters of everyday life, be it the reconstruction of Gaza or economic pro­spects in the West Bank. The frustratingly slow pace of reconstruction in Gaza and the economic turbulence in the West Bank caused by the Israeli government’s decisi­on to withhold tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority are cause for worry. The dimmer prospects for economic and social development become, while settle­ments continue to grow, the less patience Palestinians may have to wait for the re­sults of a peaceful negotiation process. These results show the international com­munity should pick up the pieces of the failed negotiation process and aim for a more concerted effort to push for a fair and just solution. Warm wishes, Your FES East-Jerusalem team Design: ery foto Seite 1