By Stan Goodenough
Mar 17, 2008
The Palestinian Arabs increasingly support the "extremist" position of Hamas over the "moderate" position of the Fatah/PLO.
International efforts to boycott Hamas, and Israel's attacks on the Gaza-Strip where the group is in control have only boosted Hamas' popularity.
This is according to the results of a poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.
If new elections were held in the PA-occupied territories now, the survey found, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would win 47 percent over Fatah/PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas' 46 percent.
The figures represented a sharp strengthening of Haniyeh's popularity, reported Ynetnews Monday.
Despite the international effort to designate Abbas as moderate and Haniyeh as extreme, both their organizations share the same ultimate goal - the eradication of Israel from the Muslim Middle East.
The PLO's policy since 1973 has been to support negotiation until Israel will surrender no more, and then to move in for the kill.
Hamas wants to wipe out the Jewish state right away.