JMCC Public Opinion Poll No. 8
On Jerusalemites' opinion to Jerusalem's future
August 1995
in cooperation with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat
56.8 percent prefer Jerusalem as a capital for two states, either unified or divided and a mere 0.4 percent say Jerusalem should be the unified capital of Israel. 23.3 percent of the respondents prefer Jerusalem to be an international city.
A random sample of 489 Jerusalem Palestinians over the age of 18 years, were interviewed face-to-face throughout the Jerusalem District on 24 & 25 August 1995. The interviews were conducted in randomly selected homes, and the subjects inside each home were also selected randomly according to Kish tables methods.
The poll was conducted by JMCC in cooperation with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat Newspaper in London. It aimed to study the opinions of Jerusalem Palestinians on the future of Jerusalem and the peace process. All districts East Jerusalem neighbourhoods were selected in this survey and the number of respondents in each neighbourhood was based on the population size of that neighbourhood. Population size was based on the figures of the Palestine Statistics Bureau. The following are the areas of Jerusalem that were included in the survey: Old Beit Hanina, Um Touba, Sheikh Sa'ad, Hizma, Z'aim, Sheikh Jarrah, Al-Thouri, Kufur Aqab, Qalandia, Al-Swahreh, Sur Baher, Al-Tour, Wadi Aljouz, Shu'fat RC, Issawieh, Anata, Old City, Jabal Al-Mukabber, Abu Deis, Bethany, Shu'fat, Beit Hanina, Al-Ram, Dahiat Al-Bareed, and Silwan.
Q.1 How do you feel about the future of the Palestinians one year after self-rule began in Gaza and Jericho?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Very optimistic |
10.0% |
10.7% |
5.9% |
| Somewhat optimistic |
44.4% |
42.7% |
62.7% |
| No opinion |
8.6% |
9.9% |
2.0% |
| Somewhat pessimistic |
24.1% |
24.1% |
21.6% |
| Very pessimistic |
12.9% |
1.2% |
7.8% |
Q.2 More than three years since the peace process began, how do you feel about Jerusalem?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Very optimistic |
8.0% |
9.0% |
--- |
| Somewhat optimistic |
34.4% |
34.3% |
31.4% |
| No opinion |
24.7% |
23.9% |
21.6% |
| Somewhat pessimistic |
21.9% |
22.0% |
21.6% |
| Very pessimistic |
11.1% |
10.6% |
11.7% |
Q.3 Do you think the Palestinian Authority is doing enough on the issue of Jerusalem?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Yes |
38.9% |
40.8% |
25.5% |
| No |
49.7% |
47.3% |
60.8% |
| No opinion |
11.4% |
10.9% |
13.7% |
Q.4 Do you accept giving up the "1948 lands" in return for a final solution in which the Palestinians will have their own state in the West Bank and Gaza, with Jerusalem as its capital (1967 borders)?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Yes |
39.1% |
36.7% |
60.8% |
| No |
54.4% |
57.3% |
31.4% |
| No opinion |
6.5% |
10.9% |
7.8% |
Q.5 How would you describe President Yasser Arafat's performance as the head of the Palestinian Authority?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Very good |
15.7% |
16.5% |
9.8% |
| Good |
28.0% |
26.9% |
39.2% |
| Average |
28.2% |
28.5% |
29.4% |
| Bad |
11.7% |
10.4% |
17.6% |
| Very bad |
8.8% |
10.0% |
--- |
| No answer |
7.6% |
7.7% |
3.9% |
Q.6 Given the current situation, do you approve of the continuation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad's suicide operations against Israeli targets?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Yes |
24.3% |
26.0% |
9.8% |
| No |
62.2% |
60.8% |
78.4% |
| Other |
1.2% |
1.1% |
2.0% |
| No opinion |
12.3% |
12.1% |
9.8% |
Q.7 Which passport would you prefer to have?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Jordanian |
16.4% |
14.8% |
29.4% |
| Israeli |
9.2% |
9.0% |
9.8% |
| Palestinian |
66.1% |
68.0% |
51.0% |
| No opinion |
8.4% |
8.1% |
9.8% |
Q.8 If Israeli elections for the Jerusalem Municipality were held today, would you participate?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Yes |
13.1% |
12.8% |
-- |
| No |
83.2% |
83.8% |
82.4% |
| No opinion |
3.7% |
3.4% |
3.9% |
Q.9 To what extent is it true that the way the Palestinians landlords in Jerusalem dealt with their tenants contributed to the city's eviction of its Palestinian occupants?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Very true |
54.8% |
56.1% |
47.1% |
| Somewhat true |
30.1% |
29.7% |
33.3% |
| It had no effect |
11.2% |
10.9% |
13.7% |
| No opinion |
3.9% |
3.2% |
5.9% |
Q.10 What, would you say, is the main problem which Palestinian Jerusalem residents face?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Taxes |
22.5% |
22.5% |
23.5% |
| Housing/Building permits |
25.6% |
25.1% |
33.3% |
| Closure/Feeling of isolation |
16.0% |
15.8% |
15.6% |
| Settlements/Occupation |
7.1% |
8.1% |
-- |
| General situation |
11.7% |
11.4% |
11.8% |
| Racism |
3.9% |
3.5% |
7.8% |
| Other (including imprisonment, drugs and social breakdown) |
5.4% |
5.5% |
6.0% |
| No opinion |
7.8% |
8.1% |
2.0% |
Q.11 Do you agree with the steps taken by some Jerusalem Palestinians, who have obtained Israeli passports?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Yes |
10.6% |
10.4% |
11.8% |
| No |
78.9% |
80.8% |
72.5% |
| No opinion |
10.5% |
9.5% |
15.7% |
Q.12 Do you believe it is possible to reach a just and comprehensive political solution while there are still Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Yes |
9.8% |
9.0% |
15.7% |
| No |
84.3% |
85.4% |
76.5% |
| No opinion |
5.9% |
5.5% |
7.8% |
Q.13 Would you approve putting Jerusalem under international supervision?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Yes |
49.9% |
47.3% |
60.8% |
| No |
46.2% |
47.8% |
37.3% |
| No opinion |
3.9% |
9.0% |
2.0% |
Q.14 What, in your opinion, is the best and final solution to the Jerusalem problem?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Unified capital of Israel |
0.4% |
0.5% |
-- |
| East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian State |
41.5% |
43.4% |
25.5% |
| International Jerusalem |
23.3% |
21.8% |
35.3% |
| Jerusalem as an open city and a capital of the two states |
15.3% |
14.2% |
25.5% |
| West Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, the Old City is under a joint sovereignty, and East Jerusalem is under Palestinian sovereignty |
6.7% |
6.7% |
6.8% |
| Other |
7.0% |
7.7% |
2.0% |
| No opinion |
5.7% |
5.7% |
3.9% |
Q.15 How long, do you think, will it be before there is a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| Less than 10 years |
28.5% |
28.7% |
30.0% |
| 10-20 years |
16.5% |
16.0% |
19.6% |
| 20-50 years |
9.8% |
10.8% |
9.8% |
| 50-100 years |
2.6% |
2.5% |
3.9% |
| Many years |
13.4% |
13.0% |
13.5% |
| Never |
9.2% |
9.3% |
9.6% |
| No opinion |
20.0% |
18.8% |
13.6% |
Q.16 If you havea choice between war and continued Israeli control over Jerusalem, what will you choose?
|
Total |
Muslims |
Christians |
|
| War |
62.8% |
67.7% |
21.6% |
| Continued Israeli control |
16.0% |
14.4% |
27.5% |
| No opinion |
21.2% |
17.9% |
51.0% |