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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Win Smith who wrote (48517)	10/1/2002 12:13:35 PM
From: Rascal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Israeli Siege Increased Arafat's Popularity: Poll Monday, September 30 2002 @ 05:43 PM GMT OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - A poll, released Sunday, showed that Israeli siege of President Yasser Arafat headquarters in Ramallah has increased the leader's popularity among his own people. The poll found that 60.6 percent said they expect Arafat to be re-elected as leader of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) if the January 20 elections are held "under current condition,." meaning the continuation of Israeli military attacks and occupation of their cities and towns. Only 47.5 percent gave the same answer in June, according to the Palestinian-run Jerusalem Media and Communication Center (JMCC). The poll was conducted from September 21 to 25 during the period when Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) imposed a siege on the Ramallah presidential compound. In June, 57.6 percent of Palestinians said it was time for reform of their leadership. In the latest poll, more than 64 percent said such reform was impossible under currently existing Israeli military occupation of most West Bank's cities and towns. The poll found continued support for the uprising against Israel despite a heavy death toll among Palestinians over the past two years and the near-collapse of peace efforts aimed at a Palestinian state, Eighty percent said they supported continuing the uprising and 48.4 percent said the goal was to create an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Fatah movement, headed by Arafat, was listed as the most-trusted political faction by 32.9 percent of those polled. The only other faction to receive major support was the Islamic group Hamas, cited by 20.9 percent. Nearly 26 percent of Palestinians said they trusted no group. The poll of 1,199 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip had a 3-percentage point margin of error. (palestine media center) palestinechronicle.com

To: Win Smith who wrote (48517)	10/1/2002 2:51:41 PM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

This Greenberg article in the Times is an interesting one. I thought the Sharon attack on Arafat's headquarters was not only the usual over the top response that Sharon does but, in addition, a political mistake of, perhaps, serious proportions. That is it would increase Arafat's popularity (a mistake from Sharon's point of view if he wished that to decline--I've read/heard some more cynical arguments that Sharon wished to increase Arafat's popularity). But I had not thought of its implications within the Israeli government. Read and learn.