For years, APN has pressed the need for a peace process to be credible in the eyes of Palestinians and Israelis. A credible peace process is vital for Israel and for peace, we said.
The latest poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research offers a clear-cut example of why this matters.
The poll found that "Pessimism regarding the future of peace or changing conditions of boycott and closure imposed on the Gaza Strip seems to influence attitudes regarding violence [targeting Israel]. For example, support for the launching of rockets reaches 59% among those who believe that the chances for establishing a Palestinian state in the next 5 years are non existent; but it drops considerably to 38% among those believe the chances are high."
So "only" 38% of Palestinians (call it 40) say that it is a good idea to fire rockets on Israel and kill Jews even if "peace is at hand".