| Poll: Most Palestinians Back Soldier's Abduction Source: Reuters July 9 2006 | |||||||||||||||
| JERUSALEM, July 9 (Reuters) - A majority of Palestinians back the abduction of a Israeli soldier and the firing of rockets at Israel although nearly half feel these actions could ultimately hurt them, a poll on Sunday showed.
The Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre surveyed a random sample of 2,000 people in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank during an ongoing Israeli incursion in Gaza to free the soldier captured in a June 25 cross border raid. The results suggested growing frustration with the offensive that has killed more than 50 Palestinians since June 28, and has compounded an already worsening economic crisis spurred by a world boycott of the Hamas-led government. The poll, conducted on July 6 and 7, showed 77 percent of Palestinians backed the capture of Corporal Gilad Shalit, while 22 percent were opposed, a statement from the centre said. More than 60 percent favoured the rocket attacks on southern Israel, the survey found, though Israel has vowed to put a halt to such fire as an additional aim of the current offensive. Nearly 47 percent, or close to half of those interviewed, said they expected the crisis with Israel over the soldier's capture to ultimately incur losses to their side, while 37 percent thought they stood to gain from the incident. Israel has rejected calls from three militant groups that captured the Israeli gunner, including the governing Hamas group's armed wing, to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for information about him. |
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| If the Palestinians wish to collectively benefit from the kidnapping and rocket attacks then they must be ready to accept the collective punishment of those actions as well. | |||||||||||||||
| Also see: Palestinians to PA: Stop Rocket Attacks Militants Abduct Israeli Soldier Militants Threaten Abbas for Condemning Suicide Bombing Poll: Most Palestinians Support Terror Attacks Against U.S., E.U. |
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