An overwhelming majority of Palestinians support the recent wave of violent attacks on Israelis, according to an opinion poll released Tuesday.
The poll, which was conducted by Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki, found that more than half of Palestinians support a new intifada against Israel.
Results also indicated that should presidential elections for a new Palestinians president be held today, the Hamas terror group would win.
Shikaki said that the results of the poll reflected a growing Palestinian anger towards heightened tensions and sensitivity surround holy sites in Jerusalem. Jewish presence on the Temple Mount, which is Judaism’s most holy site, has been used as justification by Palestinian leaders to carry out vicious attacks against Israelis.
Shikaki added that the collapse of US-brokered peace talks and the recent war with Hamas in Gaza are also contributing factors towards the growing tensions.
“There is an environment in which violence is becoming a dominant issue,” he stated. “This seems to be one of the most important driving forces.”
Over the past month and a half, violent and deadly attacks in Jerusalem and the surrounding area have claimed the lives of many Israelis. 80 percent of respondents supported individual terror attacks by Palestinians against Israelis.
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research interviewed 1,270 people from the West Bank and Gaza Strip between December 3-6, 2014. The poll had an error margin of three percent.
