GAZA, September 19, 2005 (IPC + Agencies) - - A recent public opinion poll revealed that more than half of the Palestinian people believed that there was no need for any other weapons than that with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
The poll, which was conducted by the Opinion Polls and Survey Studies Center of Al Najah University in Nablus, tackled several issues in the Palestinian territories, mainly the national unity government, the security chaos phenomenon and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip.
In the poll, which was made between September 14-16, 54.1 percent of those polled believed that there was no need for weapons in Gaza Strip other than that of the Palestinian security services, while 58.7 percent believed the PNA was capable of enforcing law and order in Gaza after the withdrawal.
Meanwhile, 49.3 percent of the sample expected armed confrontations between the PNA security services and armed Palestinian groups after the withdrawal, while 42.5 percent were in favor of disarming Palestinian factions in Gaza Strip after the withdrawal.
As for the reason of the Israeli withdrawal, 58.2 percent of the sample believed it was because of the Palestinian armed struggle, while 22.4 percent believed it was a unilateral Israeli decision, and 15.3 percent who believed it was because of the Palestinian political work.
With regards to the economic situation in Gaza after the withdrawal, 71.5 percent believed the situation would improve, as opposed to 14.6 percent who believed poverty and unemployment would increase after the withdrawal.
About the free movement of Gaza's residents, 47.3 percent said the Strip would turn into a big prison, and 44 percent said it would become open and its residents free to move.
Other interesting results of the Najah University's poll showed that 61.9 percent were against launching attacks on Israel from Gaza Strip after the Israeli withdrawal, as opposed to 58.8 percent who believed otherwise.
Also, 67.9 percent believed the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would be a step towards establishing a Palestinian state, while 28.6 percent believed it won't.
The sample of the poll reached 1,360 individuals over 18 years of age, who were distributed as 860 individuals in the West Bank and 500 in Gaza Strip, with a margin of error of ±3 percent.
