Poll: Most Palestinians mistrust Trump, oppose dialogue with US

The majority of Palestinian respondents in a new poll oppose resuming dialogue with the Trump administration, with antipathy for the US on the rise.

By: World Israel News Staff

According to a poll published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research on Wednesday, 90 percent of Palestinian respondents believe US bias favors Israel, with just 6 percent deeming the US an “honest broker.”

The poll’s results reflect responses from 1,270 people in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

In addition to revealing widespread perception of bias among Palestinians, the poll also demonstrated that 62 percent of those surveyed oppose resuming dialogue between the Palestinian leadership and the Trump Administration.

The poll’s responses track with statements and actions by Palestinian leaders such as Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, who has boycotted the Trump administration since the US announced its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and subsequently moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Trump administration has increasingly reacted to Palestinian rejection of the US’ role in the peace process by eliminatiing funding for Palestinian organizations and government bodies, including cutting $200 million in aid earlier in the year, ending millions of dollars in annual funding for the Palestinians’ United Nations agency (UNRWA), and “reprogramming” $25 million in funds for hospitals in Arab sections of Jerusalem.

Last week, Trump declared that the Palestinians would receive no further funding unless they returned to the negotiating table, while this week the administration announced it would shutter the Palestinians’ diplomatic headquarters in Washington, since the facility is not being used for its stated purpose of pursuing the peace process with Israel.

“Anything that’s coming from the Americans is not going to be supported by the Palestinians,” said pollster Khalil Shikaki according to AP. Shikaki was apparently referring to Trump’s as-yet unreleased deal-of-the-century peace plan.

Among the poll’s other key findings were that 56 percent of those questioned said a two-state solution to the conflict is “no longer practical or feasible due to the expansion of Israeli” communities in Judea and Samaria.