Palestinian Support For Two-State Solution Losing Ground, Poll Finds

The number of Palestinians who support a two-state solution has decreased, following Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s decision in April to call off the Palestinian elections, according to a Palestinian public opinion poll.

While support for a two-state solution has dropped, the number of Palestinians who support a binational state solution has increased, according to the poll conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center.

The percentage of those who believe a two-state solution is the best way to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict dropped from 39% in April to 29%, while the percentage of those who support a binational one-state solution rose from 21% in April to 26% in October, the poll showed.

In the West Bank, support for a one-state solution (30%) polled even higher than a two-state solution (23%), while in the Gaza Strip a two-state solution (37%) remains the preferred option over a one-state solution (19%).

The largest percentage of respondents still believes peaceful negotiations are the best method for “ending the occupation”; 33% support this method; 33% support armed resistance; and 20% support “popular resistance as the best way to end the occupation and establish a Palestinian state.”