Vast majority of Palestinians say independence more important than prosperity

An overwhelming majority of Palestinians supports the Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership’s decision to boycott the US-led economic workshop in Bahrain, and prioritizes political independence over economic prosperity, says a poll published today.

Seventy-nine percent of Palestinians say they support the move, while 15% say they oppose it, the survey says.

The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) conducted the poll, which surveyed 1,200 Palestinians in 120 randomly selected locations in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem between June 27 and 30.

The conference in Bahrain focused on the economic portion of the American administration’s peace plan, which proposes billions of dollars of investment in infrastructure projects in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and neighboring Arab countries.

The Palestinian leadership has asserted that the confab’s economic focus sought to undermine Palestinian aspirations for statehood. It also has accused the US of attempting to use the gathering to normalize Israel’s status in the Arab world.

Ninety percent of Palestinians say they do not trust the Trump administration when it states that the goal of the Bahrain gathering was to improve Palestinian economic conditions, whereas 6% say they do, according to the survey.

Asked to choose between independence and economic prosperity, 83% of Palestinians opt for the former and just 15% select the latter, the poll finds.

— Adam Rasgon