Poll: Barghouti would defeat Abbas and Haniyeh in vote for Palestinian president
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' popularity has dropped significantly in the last three months, while support for Hamas has risen, according to a new poll released on Wednesday.
The poll circulated by Khalil Shikaki's Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Researchfound that if Abbas were to contend against Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh for the Palestinian Presidency, he would win approximately 49 percent of the vote, while the latter would secure 44 percent.
The rift between the two in the West Bank stands at 7 percent – in Abbas' favor – and 4 in the Gaza Strip, at 4 percent. The polls survey Palestinian residents in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The poll held just three months found a rift of 12 percent between the two – with Abbas supported by 54 percent of those questioned and Haniyeh by 42 percent.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/poll-barghouti-would-defeat-abbas-and-haniyeh-in-vote-for-palestinian-president.premium-1.444382
