By Javier Manjarres
Congresswoman Sandy Adams (pictured right) and several of her Congressional colleagues met with Nir Barkat, the Mayor of Jerusalem (pictured-center) in Washington, D.C.. Adams and other congressional representatives expressed their support and solidarity with Israel as Barkat shared his vision for Jerusalem.
What hasn’t garnered much attention in the media are the results of a recent poll taken in Jerusalem that has all but been discarded by the Obama administration. In a phone conversation that I had with Congressman Adams, she indicated that she was impressed with the Mayor and his forward-thinking vision for a better Jerusalem-
He is doing what he can to improve the city for everyone. He said that the city has always been an all-inclusive city from the beginning-Rep. Sandy Adams
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The poll was conducted back in September by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy poll, and its questioners asked Palestinians currently residing in Jerusalem if they would consider becoming Israeli citizens or not. The results of the poll are quite astonishing, as 40% of the 500 Palestinians polled would prefer to become Israeli citizens and live free under the Israeli flag.
A new and credible poll of east Jerusalem Palestinians shows that nearly half would prefer to become citizens of Israel rather than of a new Palestinian state — casting fresh doubts on the official Palestinian claim to the city. Only one-quarter (23 percent) of the city’s nearly 300,000 Palestinian residents said they would “definitely” prefer Palestinian citizenship, despite the recent surge in nationalist activity leading up to this week’s UN debate. Even more remarkably, 42 percent said they would actually move to a different neighborhood if necessary in order to remain under Israeli rather than Palestinian authority, confirming results from a similar survey administered by a Palestinian pollster in November 2010 and cosponsored by the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations.
The new survey — conducted September 4-10 by leading Palestinian pollster Dr. Nabil Kukali of the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, in partnership with Princeton-based Pechter Middle East Polls — included a representative geographic probability sample of 500 respondents, yielding a margin of error of approximately 4 percent. Every one of east Jerusalem’s nineteen Palestinian neighborhoods was sampled in exact proportion to its share of the total population, and the face-to-face interviews were conducted privately by local Palestinians in respondents’ homes.Participants offered several practical reasons for preferring Israeli citizenship: greater freedom of movement under Israel’s jurisdiction, higher income, more employment opportunities, and a better social safety net, including health insurance, pensions, and disability benefits. Indeed, two-thirds reported that they travel not just to west Jerusalem, but also to other parts of Israel every week. At the same time, more than half of the respondents said they are concerned about increased corruption and decreased freedom of expression under Palestinian rule.-Washington Institute
Adams stated that “this is a credible poll,” and she hopes to soon be able to take up the invitation that Mayor Barkat extended to her to visit Israel. The poll’s result clearly reflects the distrust that Palestinians have towards the Hamas-lead government in the Palestinian controlled Gaza Strip and West Bank. Could this be an early indicator of greater Palestinian discontent towards Hamas to come?
