Polling Israelis and Palestinians

Apparently, a recent poll by the Palestinian Jerusalem Media and Communication Center (JMCC) reports that a majority of Palestinians want to see the elimination of Israel as a final goal for the intifada. Right now, the Reuters report on the poll is the most sent story over at Yahoo News. I can imagine a lot of people jumping on the findings in this poll as further proof that the Palestinians would murder all Jews if they only had the chance. Consider, however, this comment from Indymedia:

"liberating all of historic Palestine" does not mean "wiping Israel off the map"...Liberation could also mean regaining control of lost land and homes from 1948 and 1967, namely through return of Palestinian refugees to their homes/lands, mandated by international laws. Israel can still exist, but this would mean a multicultural democracy, with one vote for one person. [Yet] The "only democracy in the Middle East" would never want THIS kind of democracy since it would include Palestinians..."

In short, the findings of the poll may or may not have violent undertones. I can very easily see poll respondents drawing a distinction between destroying Israel and destroying Jewish lives. Indeed, a poll conducted by JMCC in March 2002 suggested that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians advocate a peaceful, although undoubtedly difficult, solution to the conflict:

...41.6 percent, believe that the most favored solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a two-state solution, while 31.6 percent believe that historic Palestine cannot be divided into two states and that a bi-national state in all of historic Palestine, where Palestinians and Israelis enjoy equal representation and rights, is the most favored solution. Meanwhile, 12.5 percent believe that a Palestinian state on the whole historic Palestine, with the return of refugees, is the favored solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Or check out this more recent May 2002 poll from JMCC which "showed that 66% of the Palestinians support the Saudi Initiative that calls for establishing two states: Palestine and Israel, and the Israeli withdrawal till the 1967 borders and holding normal and full relations and a comprehensive peace between the Arab countries and Israel."

Interesting to see that the "elimination of Israel" poll first mentioned is getting top billing in the media when other recent polls with rather different findings - from the same organization! - have failed to garner any comparable amounts of attention.

Also recall a report I mentioned a few weeks ago which basically alluded to the converse position in the conflict - the desire of nearly half of Israelis to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians out of "Judea & Samaria." Perhaps as expected, this poll received little fanfare, too.