Few people are ready to elect Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to run the Palestinian Authority, according to a poll by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO). If Haniyeh ran for the presidency against Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, Haniyeh would get 24.8 per cent of the vote, while Abbas would garner 46.6 per cent.

In a different scenario, Haniyeh would also lose with 25.7 per cent of the vote against 48 per cent for Marwan Barghouthi, a Fatah member currently serving time in an Israeli jail.

Abbas won the January 2005 presidential ballot in the Palestinian Territories with 62.32 per cent of all cast ballots. In January 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council election, securing 74 of the 112 seats at stake. Haniyeh officially took over as prime minister in March. The Israeli government believes Hamas is directly responsible for the deaths of 377 citizens in a variety of attacks, which include dozens of suicide bombings.

In February 2007, Hamas and Fatah leaders reached an accord which set the guidelines for a power-sharing Palestinian administration, headed by Hamas. In June, amid a wave of violent clashes between Hamas and Fatah factions, Hamas militants seized control of Gaza. Abbas issued a decree to form a 12-member emergency government based in the West Bank and expelled Hamas from the administration. Fatah member Salam Fayyad was appointed as prime minister by Abbas.

In November 2007, Abbas and leaders from the United States, Israel and several Arab countries attended an international conference on Middle East affairs in Annapolis, Maryland. The meeting was brokered by U.S. president George W. Bush. On Nov. 27, Abbas and Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert announced they would work towards having a peace treaty signed by the end of 2008, which would include the creation of a Palestinian state.

The Islamic Jihad organization began to launch Qassam rockets into Israel from Gaza almost daily since Hamas took control of the territory. Israel holds Hamas responsible for the attacks for allowing the Islamic Jihad and other groups to act against Israel. In January, Israel completely sealed off its borders with the Gaza Strip and launched military operations in Gaza.

In May, Israeli and Palestinian delegates began to negotiate a ceasefire in Egypt. On Jun. 17, Egypt announced that a "calm agreement" had been reached between Israel and Hamas. The deal took effect on Jun. 19, and entails Gaza’s Hamas rulers halting rocket and mortar fire on Israeli border communities, while Israel is to increase the flow of goods into Gaza. The fragile truce is still in place.

Barghouti was convicted in an Israeli court and sentenced to five life terms in prison for his alleged involvement in deadly attacks by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Many Palestinians believe the charges against Barghouti were made up, and he is considered a political prisoner.

On Sept. 20, Haniyeh assured that the Palestinian territories will remain separated, declaring, "We would like to say to all people that there will be no return to the situation prior to the June 14, 2007. That period is now a part of history and our Palestinian people can never reverse history."

Polling Data

If new Palestinian Authority presidential elections were held now, and Mr. Mahmoud Abbas were the candidate for Fatah, and Mr. Ismael Haniyeh were the candidate for Hamas, for whom would you vote?

Mahmoud Abbas

46.6%

Ismail Haniyeh

24.8%

Would not vote

25.2%

Not sure

3.4%

In case the two rivals, Mr. Marwan Barghouthi for Fatah and Mr. Ismael Haniyeh for Hamas, run in the presidential elections, for whom would you vote?

Marwan Barghouthi

48.0%

Ismael Haniyyeh

25.7%

Would not vote

23.7%

Not sure

2.7%

Source: Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO)
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,020 Palestinian adults in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, conducted from Sept. 1 to Sept. 10, 2008. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.